3 held as situation returns to normal following agitation over RSS worker’s death in Jharkhand

Koderma Deputy Commissioner Sanjiv Kumar Besra said: “The situation is completely peaceful now. The police are taking requisite action. At least three arrests have been made in connection with three different FIRs registered. The force is keeping a vigil, but the agitation has been called off.”

Deputy Superintendent of Police Karmpal Oraon said: “One person, Mohammad Sarfaraz, has been arrested in connection with the FIR alleging that the RSS worker was killed by two members of the minority community. Another person, Mohammad Nasir, has been arrested for allegedly threatening one Mahru Modi of dire consequences on Tuesday. Another person, Ajju Singh, a local leader, has been arrested for leading the mob to road block that flared up the situation.”

Late Tuesday evening, the administration had to impose Section 144 after Gupta’s supporters resorted to arson, setting afire some furniture in the village’s primary school. The other group also set afire a roadside tea vend. The police, however, intervened immediately and clamped Section 144 to control the situation.

However, Gupta’s supporters continued to agitate alleging that the village headman, Nasim, had encroached upon a government land. “They have been assured that it would be removed following due procedure. The agitation was called off in the night itself,” said Oraon.

Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha too had visited Gupta’s house and requested people to maintain calm. Earlier on Tuesday, Nasir had threatened one Mahru Modi, whose house is near to that of the deceased. On September 11, Gupta, teacher in a Saraswati Shishu Mandir in the village, had died after drowning in the river. His family members accused Sarfaraz and his acquaintance of killing him by forcibly drowning him in the river. On the request of Gupta’s family, a second post-mortem was conducted at RIMS in Ranchi, after they refused to accept the first post-mortem report, which gave drowning as the cause of death.