Ranchi: The tribal bodies of Jharkhand have called for a one-day bandh in Ranchi on Saturday to protest against the burning of the religious flag by miscreants. Tribal bodies under the banner of the Central Sarna Committee took out a torchlight procession here on Friday evening demanding the arrest of those responsible.
Due to the bandh, the Ranchi administration on Friday imposed Section 144 CrPC within 200 meters of Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence and secretariat. The sponsors of the bandh said that ambulance and milk van services and pharmacies would be kept out of the purview of the bandh.
Phoolchand Tirkey, president of the KSS, said Sarna’s flag was burnt in Lower Karam Toli area of Ranchi on March 25, a day after the Sarhul festival, but the administration did not take any action in this regard.
Alleging that more such incidents would happen, he said that a tribal religious flag was thrown in Nagri and Thakurgaon areas. No action was taken in these cases as well, though tribal organizations had registered their protest. “Since the administration is not taking any action, we are forced to call off the Ranchi bandh on Saturday,” he said.
Sarna is a sacred grove in the Chota Nagpur plateau region and is worshiped by tribals in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
Prohibitory orders were also imposed at the Chief Minister’s residence due to the protests of the students on the issue of employment.
The Jharkhand State Students’ Union (JSSU), however, announced on Friday that it has postponed the CM House gherao program in Tamil Nadu following the death of state education minister Jagarnath Mahto on Thursday.
JSSU is demanding abolition of 60-40 ratio based employment policy and introduction of 1932 Khatian (land settlement) based employment policy. The state cabinet had on March 3 approved amendments to various rules related to the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examinations. JSSU leader Devendra Mahto said, “We have rescheduled the protest for April 17.”