Fifteen Congress members, including former Nabarangpur MP Pradip Majhi, on Sunday went on an indefinite hunger strike at the Umarkote Sub-Jail in Nabarangpur district demanding land pattas for tribals and a fresh survey to identify poor eligible beneficiaries for issuing of ration cards under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
The Congress also called a Nabarangpur Bandh on June 28 in protest against the arrest of party leaders and workers.
Majhi and 18 other Congress men had been arrested on Saturday for allegedly beating up the Raighar Forest Ranger and ransacking the range office at Raighar during a demonstration demanding land pattas for tribals of Raighar under the Forest Rights Act and ration cards to eligible poor beneficiaries.
The agitators, including Majhi, were sent to jail after their bail applications were rejected by a local court on Saturday.
In the demonstration held by the Raighar Block Congress Committee, over 3,000 Congress workers had marched up to the Raighar block and tehsil offices demanding land patta of forestland and ration cards for 1.4 lakh eligible beneficiaries of Raighar block.
After submitting a memorandum to the Governor through the District Forest Officer, the demonstrators, alleging that the Forest Ranger had taken bribes to the tune of Rs 3 crore for providing pattas for forestlands, went berserk, pelted stones at policemen and barged into the Forest Range office.Range Officer Kumar Khara in his complaint to the police alleged that demonstrators thrashed him, tore his clothes and upturned his SUV, ransacked his office apart from damaging furniture and other articles including fans in the office.
Khara also alleged that the mob looted 30 bicycles, axes, machetes, etc., seized earlier by the department.
Basing on Khara’s complaint, police arrested 19 Congress men, including Majhi, and forwarded them to court.Congress workers later staged a road block at DNK Square protesting against the arrest.