Jharkhand CM offers tributes at Kharsawan memorial amid ruckus

PROTESTERS HURL SHOES, WAVE BLACK FLAGS

PROTESTERS CREATED ruckus at Shaheed Park in Jharkhand’s Seraikela Kharsawan district on Sunday where Chief Minister Raghubar Das had gone to offer prayers at the memorial for the victims of Kharsawan firing incident.

Seventeen tribals were killed during the Kharsawan firing incident on January 1, 1948, while demanding a separate tribal homeland from Odisha. Every year, prayers are offered at the memorial and the CM visits the place.

Sources in the CM’S office said that while protests were expected on account of the call given by JMM, they were not aware of ruckus in CM’S presence. They also denied that the CM was gheraoed by the mob for nearly half-an-hour.

Footage from a local news channel showed people from the crowd hurling shoes, waving black flags and some chairs thrown around at the venue site.

Seraikela Kharsawan SP Sanjeev Kumar said: “A large number of people had gathered to offer prayers. One group resorted to raising slogans on issues like Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act. A couple of them may have waved black flags. The CM visited the site, offered his prayers and left. There may have been a bit of ruckus after that. But we did not require force.”

JMM’S Kharsawan MLA, Dasrath Gagrai, said: “We had already given a boycott call against CM’S visit in the area, as we are opposing the amendments in the tenancy Acts. However, by the time I reached, the crowd had already started raising slogans. They also hurled shoes and broke some chairs.”

An aide from the CM’S office, who was present at the spot, said: “There was some slogan shouting, but we did not witness the ruckus as is being shown.”