SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Aug 8: A statue of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Jamshedpur leader late Nirmal Mahto would be installed at Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad soon.
SNMMCH principal Dr Jyotiranjan Prasad and JMM Tundi (Dhanbad ) MLA Mathura Prasad Mahto today jointly laid the foundation stone of the statue on the campus near the college building.
The JMM-led state government on August 8, 2020, changed the name of Patliputra Medical College Hospital (PMCH) Dhanbad and renamed it as Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital.
On his 36th death anniversary, the college principal, faculty members, JMM Tundi MLA and other leaders paid tributes to the late leader.
Nirmal Mahto, one of the senior leaders of the JMM, had been gunned down in Chamaria Guest House of Tata Steel, Jamshedpur in 1987.
However, the local leaders in Dhanbad have questioned naming the medical college in the name of the Jamshedpur leader and installation of his statue.
A senior leader of the ruling alliance said that the contribution of former MP Binod Bihari Mahto and AK Roy is unparalleled in the Jharkhand state movement and both of them deserved more recognition than Nirmal Mahto who has no stake in Dhanbad.