People's Democracy

ON February 2, 2001, the Jharkhand police shot dead around 3 PM. Eight persons seven of them Munda tribals – at Tapkara, a small rural Bazar village in deep interiors of Ranchi district nearly 75 kilometres south west of the capital city of Jharkhand. In this police firing on a mob of over 3000 people mostly tribals 22 were seriously injured and had to be hospitalised in the Ranchi Medical College Hospital. Three are still traceless. Two earlier firings took place at Ranchi on the Muslim minority on the day they were celebrating Id and at Kurpenia Bokaro when people were protesting against rape of a christian.

This crowd of over 3000 people under the banner of Koa Karo Jansangthan were picketing the Police outpost at Tapkara under Torpa Police Station against the police brutality and high handedness. There was substantial presence of women among the agitators. Out of curiosity some school children had also gathered around the crowd. They were unarmed and their sit in continued from 10 AM to 3 PM peacefully demanding action against the police officials – O/c of Rania PS and the O/c of the Tapkara outpost. On behalf of the Jansangthan a memorandum had been submitted to the Dy S P who was present in the outpost with a force of armed policemen demanding immediate suspension of the two police officers who destroyed the barricade set up by the Koel Karo Jansangthan on a private land had badly roughed up a youth who protested.

On January 31, a police team led by the officer-incharge of neighbouring police station Rania, according to official version went to Lohajim village to nab MCC extremists while returning they stopped at the barricade in Derang village which they had crossed from one side and dismentled it and loaded the bamboo, wooden bars, poles etc on their vehicles and hurled absues at the villagers. A youth named Amrit Guria protested and he was mercilessly beaten by the police party. This barricade has been there since 1995 to prevent undesriable outsiders who could be suspected to be involved with the implementation of Koel Karo Hydel Project of NHPC which would eventually displace people of 129 revenue villages and actually over 270 populous rural settlements. However such barricades set up by the local people had never come in the way of normal functioning of the local administration. Besides these barricades had come to symbolise the consensus and the will of the people of this predominantly tribal area.

And to protest against this the crowd had collected on February 2 in front of the police outpost. Negotiations with Dy S P was going on, and senior administrative and police officials were expected to arrive any time. Local BJP MLA also apparently intervened in the negotiations on behalf of the people but as soon as he left, the police first resorted to lathi charge for a few minutes and without warning all of a sudden started firing on the crowd leaving five dead on the spot. Three died later in the hospital. At least 90 rounds were fired. Even children were hit by bullets. The crowd had dispered within a few minutes. They did not even have the time to retaliate by even heavy brick batting. But the next day the local Ranchi press was full of government version alleging timber mafia behind the incident. Three FIR’s by the police have been filed in which some people have been identified as timber, smugglers who provoked the crowd. But strangely enough against none of them there is a single case recorded earlier.

A CPI(M)’s team consisting of Rajender Singh Munda, S P Tiwari and Sudhir Das, State Organising Committee members visited alongwith SFI activist Ranjit Modak Tapkara next day on February 3. When the team reached the police had totally withdrawn from the area and a meeting of the people of this area had just concluded which provided to the team the opportunity to talk to a large number of people. On the basis of information gathered there, it became clear that in order to justify the firing, the police themselves had vandalised the outpost building, burnt and damaged government vehicles, two motorcycles, one scooter and a large number of cycles abandoned by the fleeing crowd.

Against the background of dismal performance of the successive government with respect to rehabilation of the displaced people by various projects in the Jharkhand after independence, the hostility of tribals likely to be affected by a Koal-Karo project can very well be understood. Displaced people of the neighbouring Swarnrekha project and the uranium mines of Singhbhun are still waiting to be rehabilitated. Besides all this the very idea of parting with their ancestral land is beyond comprehension for the tribal people. The land for them is just inalienable. The Koal Karo project conceived in 1957 was sought to be implemented by various governments without ever trying to take the local people into confidence right from the survey stage when government vehicles ran over their standing crops and had to be prevented by the district administration on the demand of the local tribal masses. All this has led to further hardening of their attitude.

This incident has once again brought to the forefront in Jharkhand the twin issues of land and rehabilitation. But the BJP led Marandi government instead of solving these problems to the satisfaction of the people is trying to suppress the people movements on these issues. Instead of restoring illegally alienated tribal land, this government is moving in the direction of amending the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act, the Santhalpargnas Tenancy Act and the Scheduled Area Regulations making it easier for the rich and the corporate sector both Indian and foreign to easily acquire land from the tribal peasants. This government has targetted the tribals and the minorities for attacks and is hell-bent on establishing a terror regime in Jharkhand for the benefit of Indian and foreign capital, land mafia and money lenders.

Against Tapkara firing and BJP-led government sinister designs on February 5, a successful Jharkhand Bandh was observed. At Ranchi, CPI(M) procession of nearly 300 was lathi-charged in which ever two dozen comrades received injuries. Sudhir Das district secretary of Ranchi received serious blow on his head. Our party was especially targetted because in Ranchi district land struggle has intensified under our party’s leadership, in which three tribal comrades, Baldeo Munda, Jatru Munda and Siddhu Munda lost their lives at the hands of landlords in Daladali village. On February 8, 2001, a "Sankalap-Sabha" to mourn the death of the victims of the police firing was organised by the Koal-Karo Jansagthan at Tapkara. Entire opposition except the Congress party participated in the meeting. The CPI(M) was represented by S P Tiwari and Prafulla Linda.

The CPI(M) has demanded immediate resignation of the Marandi governement and the dissolution of state assembly and holding of fresh elections. It has also asked for compensation to the kin of the deceased at the rate of Rs 7.5 lakh per head, and a government job. The party has also reiterated its stand that only after implementation of rehabilitation package prepared with the consent of the affected people, should the work on any projector scheme be started. It has also demanded immediate restoration of the illegally aliented tribal land and a judicial inquiry into the incident of firing by police at Tapkara.