The day long Jharkhand bandh called by tribal and locals’ organisations demanding immediate implementation of a domicile policy in the State drew mixed response across the State.
Shops and business establishments in Ranchi, which remained closed for the few hours in the morning, gradually started pulling up their shutters after the protesters’ groups receded from the streets. According to the police over 300 people were arrested while protesting on the streets on Ranchi.
“The bandh was quite peaceful as adequate security arrangements were made imposing section 144 in the city in order to avoid any untoward incident during the bandh,” said City SP Anoop Birthare. Over 300 people, trying to create a mess on roads during the bandh, had been arrested and taken to the Football Stadium at Morhabadi, added Birthare. “They however, were released later in the evening,” Birthare said.
Several tribal organisations in separate groups marched towards Albert Ekka Chowk on Friday demanding immediate implementation of a domicile policy in the State and also warning that the movement will be intensified if the policy is not introduced during the monsoon session of Jharkhand Assembly.
“We want immediate implementation of domicile policy for the people of this state to be introduced during this session of Jharkhand Assembly; if the government fails to introduce the policy in the Assembly during this
session, we will not hesitate to sacrifice our lives like for the cause as was done by Birsa Munda and Siddho-Kanu who sacrificed their lives during the freedom struggle,” said Adivasi Janparishad President Prem Shahi Munda.
Munda further alleged that the State Government wants to create lawlessness in the state by not providing jobs to the youths pushing them towards the rebel organisations like CPI (Maoists) and PlFI.
It is our constitutional right to have a domicile policy for the state as even the states like Telangana, formed a few weeks earlier, are also having it then why we cannot have it for Jharkhand,” Munda added.
In some of the cities and towns away from Ranchi, the bandh turned violent as a section of protesters attacked a shopping complex at Sakchi area in Jamshedpur.
largely peaceful bandh suddenly turned violent when a group of Adivasi Moolvasi Sarvadaliya Morcha led by former Ghatshila MlA Surya Singh Besra after burning effigy of state government and setting tyres on fire at Sakchi roundabout turned toward Sakchi Purulia Highway and damaged the glass panes of Bazaar Kolkata.
Sakchi police reached the spot and nabbed the bandh protagonists under preventive detention keeping them confined at Sakchi police station.
“The situation is under control. We have taken them under preventive custody and would be releasing them in the evening on the basis of personal bond,” said Sakchi police station officer-in-charge Gopal Singh. SP City Karthik S said that security was beefed up in view of the bandh called by the tribal organisations.
Shops in lohardaga on the other hand, remained open with very few vehicles on the roads. Even weekly markets also remained unaffected during the day. Patrolling parties were seen on the roads during the day in order to prevent any untoward situation.