BJP planned vandalism during its secretariat siege rally, claims JMM

Ranchi: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Wednesday urged the Ranchi district administration to conduct an enquiry into the BJP’s secretariat gherao rally held on Tuesday and demanded that action be initiated against the ‘stone pelters and vandals’ who were a part of the protest march.
JMM claimed BJP leaders raised hate slogans and party workers carried crude bombs, stones and weapons for a pre-planned vandalism during the protest.
“Political workers usually carry party flags, banners and posters during such marches. But the BJP workers had crude bombs, weapons, stones and bottles which they hurled at police. Instead of political slogans, their leaders raised slogans of hatred at Prabhat Tara Maidan,” JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya claimed.
Notably, a case was registered against 41 BJP leaders and thousands of party workers at the Dhurwa police station late on Tuesday evening.
The case lodged against Union tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda, MPs Sanjay Seth, Sunil Kumar Singh, Sameer Oraon, Nishikant Dubey and MLAs Amit Mandal, Dhullu Mahto, Biranchi Narayan and former chief minister Raghubar Das is based on a complaint lodged by executive magistrate Upendra Kumar.
Booked under Sections 147, 148, 188, 353, 332, 109 and 427 of the IPC, the accused have been charged with causing nuisance, rioting and violation of government orders. Sections 148 and 332 of the IPC carry a maximum punishment of a three-year jail term.
JMM likened the BJP’s gherao programme to that of a weekly market (haat bazaar) and claimed that the party failed to bring in masses contrary to their claims. “Even Shalimar Bazaar which was held yesterday had more people than in BJP’s programme,” Bhattacharya claimed.
JMM, however, said it is seeking legal consultations before taking steps against BJP’s Godda MP Nishikant Dubey for his remarks at the rally at Prabhat Tara Maidan.
Dubey, JMM claimed, had stated that he would put pressure on the Election Commission so that Jharkhand Assembly elections are held early next year along with Lok Sabha elections. He also allegedly claimed that chief minister Hemant Soren and his entire family would be arrested on Thursday in a Lokpal case.
“This implies that Dubey has control over democratic institutions. But who gave him the right? Amit Shah (Union home minister) must answer and Deepak Prakash (state BJP president) must apologise or else we will take legal action,” Bhattacharya said.
Meanwhile, the BJP on Wednesday evening burned effigies of Hemant Soren in Ranchi’s Harmu area to condemn the charges which were pressed by the district administration against its leaders and sported black badges to mark the day as ‘Kala Diwas’.