People's Democracy

JHARKHAND 

Democracy Under Attack

THE Jharkhand state secretariat of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) charged the BJP state government of gagging the voice of opposition in the state by using the police and administration for its partisan interest before the ensuing assembly elections. Even the judicial process is being sought to be misused.

In a statement issued after its meeting in Ranchi on August 3-4, the state secretariat considered this as a serious attack on democracy and called upon all its units, members and supporters of democracy to observe August 16 as “Save Democracy Day”. The day will be marked by the holding of public meetings, rallies through out the state.

The state secretariat noted that whenever the opposition or people protested against the government’s failures, corruption at high places, misgovernance and criminality of the ruling dispensation etc, the state government cracked down on these protests. This exposes the fascistic trend of the BJP-RSS, stated the CPI(M).

To prepare the ground for such an attack, first the state Director General of Police R R Prasad was removed from his post. Following this, a methodical resurrection of old cases and filing of new cases against the opposition leaders and functionaries is taking place at state and district levels. A typical instance was the slapping of a case against the CPI(M) district secretary Koderma simply because a year ago he had submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner on the death of a poor tribal woman. In the memorandum he brought out the government’s failure and corruption involved in the rural development work in the tribal village which resulted in the death of this tribal woman. Now, at the instance of the district SP a false case has been registered against the CPI(M) leader Koderma under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

The brutal police lathicharge recently in front of the assembly on peaceful protestors, passersby and media representatives has also exposed the Arjun Munda government’s efforts to suppress the right to freedom of expression of the people, a right which has been enshrined as a fundamental right of the people in the Constitution. It is of significance that the police targetted the photojournalists especially, brutally assaulting them and simultaneously taking care to destroy the photographs of the police brutality by smashing their cameras. The CPI(M) condemned this police brutality and held the Arjun Munda government directly responsible for this.

The CPI(M) secretariat also took note of judicial failures, absurdity in some of the judicial orders. It felt that the BJP was trying to utilise any available opportunity to make the judicial process serve their political agenda and to carry on its vendetta against the opposition. The absurdity of judicial orders became so apparent where Giridih court refused to grant bail to Shibu Soren in a 30 years’ old case despite the fact that nine other accused in the same case had been acquitted long back. It is only of academic and technical interest in the judicial process for which the police became so active for Sibu Soren’s remand and the court refused to grant bail.

One more instance was when the sub divisional judicial magistrate of Jamtara committed 59 accused in Chirudih case to the sessions court and as in normal judicial process, the matter was pending before the court. The sessions court, however, issued warrant of arrest against Shibu Soren in 1986 and after being convinced of its fault, recalled the warrant. Again, the high court annulled the recalled order, committed Shibu Soren and nine others to the sessions court and revalidated the 1986 warrant of arrest! The high court order on Shibu Soren’s case also noted several judicial failures. And, yet, on the basis 1986 warrant of arrest, Shibu Soren has been sent to jail. The secretariat stated that it is on record that in this country warrants of arrest were issued against the president and chief justice of India when bribes were offered. It felt the political move of the BJP and the simultaneous judicial move against Shibu Soren after 30 years cannot be called as a normal judicial process.

The state secretariat of the CPI(M) demanded revival of all criminal cases against the chief minister, Arjun Munda, which his government has conveniently ordered to withdraw under the cover of Jharkhand movement. (INN)