1 dies, 12 hurt in Ranchi protestANAND S.T. DAS
Rising discontent in Jharkhand over land acquisition and the resulting displacement found expression in massive protests organised by the Opposition JVM in capital Ranchi on Monday. A protester died and a dozen others were badly injured as police cracked down on the procession.
The state Assembly’s ongoing Monsoon Session was disrupted the whole day by MLAs of the Babulal Marandi-led Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) as they mounted pressure on the Arjun Munda-led BJP-JMM-AJSU coalition government to accept their demands. Senior JVM legislator and former minister Samaresh Singh tore up his kurta in the Assembly in protest against what he described as the government’s indifference towards the displaced people.
“This is a lame government in Jharkhand that has no sympathy for the thousands of helpless, displaced people. The JVM will do everything possible to ensure the displaced people are rehabilitated with dignity. I am ready to take police bullets on my chest for the people,” said Mr Singh, the MLA from Bokaro, the heart of Jharkhand’s long-standing displacement crisis.
Thousands of JVM workers led by party chief and former chief minister Babulal Marandi and senior leader Pradeep Yadav marched towards the secretariat and the Assembly buildings to press for their demands. The police lobbed teargas shells and water cannons before conducting a lathicharge as the protesters brought down a barricade put up to stop the procession.
A man died reportedly after being crushed under a police jeep at the protest site near the DPS school and at least 12 others were injured and later admitted at the RIMS hospital.
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