M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Aug 31: Around 20 families of Mahadalit Musahars have been temporarily rehabilitated in the abandoned police station building and premises at Pandu. The old Pandu PS building stands abandoned after a new huge building was constructed.
These Mahadalits have now a pucca roof, drinking water, toilet and lots of green space around.
Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) Rajesh Kumar Sah said, “We have put in around 20 of these families in the abandoned police station at Pandu as a stop-gap arrangement.”
“The Pandu BDO and CO have been asked to identify and locate chunk of the government land for these Dalits whom we will settle each with 3 decimals of land,” he added.
A total of 100 kg of rice has been provided for the 20 of these families while men were given lungis and women are given sarees under the government scheme, according to the SDO Sadar Rajesh Kumar Sah. Plastic sheets were also given to them to double it up as beds.
Why this temporary rehabilitation is at an abandoned police station?
According to the SDO, these Dalits were having their shanty structures on a piece of land at village Murumatu under the Pandu police station.
On Monday (August 29), some influential members of the minority community descended on their hamlets and forced them to vacate the land. There is the allegation that the shanty structures where they used to dwell were razed by the members of the minority community.
Then these people were packed up and sent by two four-wheelers to another village Loto under the Chhatarpur police station.
The allegation is that members of the minority community had hired the four-wheelers to pack these Dalits off the village Murumatu.
On this, SDO Sah said: “The Dalits were dislodged from their shanty structures by some members of the minority community. Their dwelling structures were demolished. Two pickup vans were arranged for their exit from the village Murumatu.”
Sources said the Dalits stake claim to the land where they have their dwelling structures.
On the other hand, the members of the minority community refute and contest the version of the Dalits claiming their dwelling as unauthorised on the piece of land which is staked by the members of the minority community which claim to have papers for it also.
Following the hue and cry over social media, the administration swung into action immediately. SDO Sadar Rajesh Kumar Sah and SDPO Surjit Kumar rushed to the place of occurrence and took stock of the situation on August 30.
The SDO further said that the Pandu CO has been directed to verify the claim of land by the minority community and whether these dwellings of the Dalits were in contravention of the law.
What did Pandu police do in this case?
SDPO Surjit Kumar said, “One of the Dalits, Sadai Musahar, lodged an FIR on August 30 against 12 named accused and around 150 unidentified people including Israr Ahmad, the Mukhiya of the Murumatu Panchayat/village for allegedly displacing them from their dwellings, bringing down their huts and insulting and threatening them for their being Dalits.”
The SDPO further informed that the police have registered a criminal case against the 12 named accused and scores of unidentified people under sections 147, 148, 149, 341, 323, 427, 447, 504, 506 of the IPC and sections of the SC-ST Prevention of Atrocities Act also.
Pandu police have arrested three of the 12 named accused who are identified as Israr Ahmad, Mumtaz Ansari and Sheikh Ahmad. Search is on for the other accused persons.
Who is the investigating officer of the case?
As police have invoked sections of the SC-ST Prevention of Atrocities Act against the 12 named and scores of unidentified people, the SDPO is mandated only to investigate under this act.
How is the situation at Murumatu?
According to the SDO Sadar and SDPO, there is complete normalcy and peace in village Murumatu.
Sources said Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais has sought a detailed report of this episode from Palamu DC Anjaneyulu Dodde.
“The DC is to visit this village today,” said a functionary of the district public relation office.
