More than a dozen signatories on Monday gathered at a dharna held on the Palamu Collectorate premise to express solidarity with the Dalit and tribal of Anhadee Dhounra location, whose houses were burnt down by a group of Yadav community on April 7, demanded arrest of the accused and adequate relief to the affected Dalit and the tribals.
One of the signatories was Yugal Pal. He was once a big name in CPI Maoist organisation and is currently working with Jharkhand Jan Sangram Morcha. Activist of Van Adhikar besides cadres of CPI, CPM, CPI Ml, IPTA, took part in the protest on Monday.
Sources said, it is now a week and there has been no arrest in this house burning case. The OC Chainpur police station Sanjay K Malviya conceded that despite several raids the accused persons are traceless. The police officer assured saying ‘They would be booked soon’.
Police have slapped section 3 of SC & ST prevention of atrocities act against the accused in the FIR lodged in this case. Houses of dalit and 3 tribals were burnt to ashes on April 7. Other five houses had partial damages. The arson was committed by the Yadavs of Temrai village said the police officer Malviya quoting the names as accused in the FIR.
The dalit and the tribal were living on an acre or two of the forest land since 2004. The Yadavs wanted the forest land to be free of encroachment as the Yadavs are the members of the Van Surakchha Samiti and this kind of Samiti has the stamp of the forest department.