Lathicharge, Water Canons Used To Disperse Agitators

RANCHI: Fearing trouble following tabling of the Chotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act Amendment bill 2016 in the state assembly, the Raghubar Das government on Wednesday deployed intense security on roads leading to the assembly. Security personnel resorted to lathi-charge, tear shells and water cannons to disperse an opposition rally protesting the bill.
The protest march, which was held to gherao the assembly to demand withdrawal of the bill, was led by former CM Babulal Marandi, former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay, CPI leader Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Mehta, RJD state president Gautam Sagar Rana and tribal leader Bandhu Tirkey.Rana and Tirkey were arrested by the police, along with 100 odd supporters of JVM-P, Congress, CPI and RJD.
Political parties said over 15 persons were injured in the lathi-charge. One JVM-P supporter suffered a fracture in his leg and was rushed to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims). Police said the orders to initiate water cannon and tear-shells were issued after protesters "turned violent and tried to break through the barricades". Parties condemned the lathi-charge as "police brutality against peaceful demonstration".
Police forces blocked the 2,000-member strong rally at Satellite Chowk (4 km from the Assembly) and resorted to lathi-charge after protesters tried to push aside the barricade for the third time around 3:05 pm. Heavy fortifications, including rapid intervention vehicle, four fire cannons, asbestos sheet to block stone pelting, were positioned at Birsa Chowk since early morning as the district authority expected demonstrations.
Marandi, Sahay and all other protesting opposition leaders participated in the rally till 3 pm when JVM-P's Poreiyahat MLA Pradeep Yadav reached the protest site and urged the rally to "march on to the Assembly to show its protests", eventually drawing police action.
Marandi termed the government's efforts to pass the amendment bill as a "final nail in its coffin". "We don't know why Raghubar Das is in a hurry. Why is he working for the corporates? This is the final nail in the Das government's coffin. Protests against it will pour out from every village of the state," Marandi said.
A delegation of MLAs of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) met governor Droupadi Murmu in the evening and requested her to seek "the audio and video recordings of Assembly proceedings of Wednesday and take action against the government's move to pass the bill with support of outsiders that were allowed on the floor of the House".