RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, April 11: Several BJP workers and journalists sustained injuries as the Jharkhand Police and the BJP workers clashed at Dhurwa roundabout in the Jharkhand capital.
It was getting around 1.30 pm when the clash started and continued for an hour with intermittent intervals when around 20000 BJP workers led by party MLAs and MPs were progressing towards the state secretariat in Dhurwa from Prabhat Tara ground in the state capital.
The BJP workers wanted to cross the barricade which the district administration had put to restrain them from reaching the secretariat and the Jharkhand Police personnel assisted by a company of central forces, Rapid Armed Force (RAF), were not allowing them to do so in accordance with the administrative order.
Officials of the district administration repeatedly asked the BJP workers not to cross the barricade through the public address system while the BJP workers were repeatedly ignoring their warning. All of a sudden, a section of BJP workers scaled the iron barricade and reached those areas where section 144 was imposed and a section of BJP workers started throwing plastic bottles filled with water.
As the BJP workers crossed the limit, the Jharkhand Police swung into action. First it tried to push back the BJP workers using water cannons. When the water cannon did not work, they used tear gas. When tear gas failed to keep the party worker at bay, police resorted to lathi charge. The incident injured a section of BJP workers.
After this action, a section of BJP workers led by Godda MP Nishikant Dubey assembled in a nearby ground and started counting the failure of the state government. They shouted slogans like “Balu Chhor, Gaddi Chhor”, “Commission Khor Gaddi Chhor” , “Patthar Chor Gaddi Chhor” besides others.
Another section dominated by legislators and parliamentarians started to protest in the area where prohibitory order under section 144 of CrPC was imposed. They included Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth, Chatra MP Sunil Singh, Bokaro MLA Biranchi Narayan, Rajya Sabha MP Sameer Oraon, Godda MLA Amit Mandal besides Aarti Kujur, Amit Singh, Kulwant Singh, Bunty Gunjan Yadav, Umesh Yadav. In their support other BJP workers also came. They were finally taken in police custody and taken to the Jagannathpur police station.
When protest and slogan shouting was going on the BJP workers again came into action and made another attempt to cross the barricade. This time again the police repeated its old action and left several BJP workers injured. Those sustained injuries were admitted to Paras Hospital for treatment.
The party workers through the agitation exposed how the state fooled people in the name of local policy and recruitment policy and allowed loot of mines and minerals giving the ED and other central probe agencies to make its base in the state to tighten its noose around the influential corrupt bureaucrats and leaders.
The programme was also intended to check the preparedness of the party to contest forthcoming parliamentary and assembly election at the time when the BJP is in the line of fire of all those who are not happy with Prime Minister Modi’s style of development and tough stand against corruption and anti-national forces.
The Ranchi police had done all necessary security arrangements. Barricading had been done at various square intersections of the city. DC Rahul Sinha and SSP Kishore Kaushal and other senior officers were vigilant.
Chief minister Hemant Soren was not present in the state when agitation was going on against him. He was at Barhet to participate in an official function.
