Opposition leaders on Monday criticised the firing by police at Soiko in Khunti district, which claimed life of one Abraham Munda and left over half a dozen wounded on October 22. Presenting their version of the truth, the Opposition leaders led by ex-CM and JVM Chief Babulal Marandi blamed that the desperation of Government to show the agitation called by the opposition on that day in Ranchi a fail, led it to use police machinery against its own people.
Based on the outcomes after visit of a fact finding team at the incident site, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Subodhkant Sahay said that the history repeated itself in Khunti. “The (firing) incident is a testimony of Raghubar Das led BJP government being a completely brutal and anti Adivasi, Dalit, labourer and farmer government. The Government is neither able to drive growth, nor can protect the rich heritage and diverse culture of the State,” said Sahay.
“We have found in our investigation that the police firing was a bi-product of self provocation. The policemen tried to stop peace-loving agitators of entering into Ranchi, which was not required at all. We demand a judicial enquiry of the event led by one sitting Judge of High Court, so that truth prevails,” claimed Babulal Marandi.
The opposition had called an agitation in Morhabadi Ground on October 22 to protest against CNT/SPT Acts amendment efforts made by the government. However, the government imposed Article 144 in many parts of the state and forced thousands of protesters at multiple locations not to inter into Ranchi. One such crowd was stopped in Soiko also, which according to government turned violent in support of some anti-social elements including Maoists and tried to kill a couple of policemen including one DSP. One person died and many got injured in the effort made to get policemen free and scatter the mob, the Government claimed.
Apart from Marandi and Sahay, Sudha Choudhary of JDU, KD Singh of CPI, Anil Singh Azad of RJD, Manohar Yadav of SP, Sushant Mukherjee of MCC, Social Activist Dayamani Barla and many other opposition leaders were present at the occasion. Despite it’s in principle support of the agitation called on October 22, no leader of JMM made its presence in the event.
Marandi said that the whole drama of Soiko, Gola and Barkagaon within two months forced the Adivasis and tribals of the State that Government meant to do anything to grab their land and culture and hand it over to a handful of billionaire traders. He added that the opposition found in its investigation in Soiko that it was Government machinery and the police that provoked the unrest and not the innocent protesters.