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Jharkhand bandh call largely unheeded

Other than minor incidents in Naxal-infected Hazaribagh district, the bandh call by the Jharkhand Mukti Manch, frontal organisation of the Maoist Communist Centre, did not have an impact on normal life in Jharkhand on Friday.

People moved about their business as usual and shops were open, indicating that the National Democratic Alliance government was determined to make the bandh call unsuccessful. Buses, cars and scooters moved about on the roads although most schools remained closed.

However, palpable tension prevailed in Ranchi, capital of the newly formed state. The bandh was called in protest against the installation of the NDA government led by Babulal Marandi.

"We are alert. The police is patrolling all the sensitive areas of the city. So far, there is no untoward incident," said Ranchi Superintendent of Police (rural ) Umesh Kumar Singh at 1045 hours (IST).

"Ranchi shahar mein itne saare bandh ho chuke hain ki ab isska koi assar nahin hota," (Ranchi has seen so many bandhs that they no longer make an impact), said shopkeeper Ghulam Mohammed, stressing that it was a case of 'overkill'.

Many anticipated trouble because of the perception that tribals in Jharkhand have been deprived of their due.

"Who is Babulal Marandi? Has he made sacrifices like (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief) Shibu Soren ? Marandi is in cahoots with the Marwari poonjipatis ( capitalists ) of Ranchi? How can we expect any fair deal from him?" thundered schoolteacher Koka Manjhi.

Talk in Ranchi centred around the Marandi government's ability (or the lack of it) to fulfil the aspirations of 'indigenous' Jharkhandis.

Members of the city's tribal Christian community were unhappy that their leaders had not been invited to Raj Bhavan for either Governor Prabhat Kumar's or Chief Minister Marandi's swearing-in ceremony.

"If you start on a narrow-minded, parochial note, you are asking for trouble. A host of central ministers like Union Home Minister L K Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes and others were invited to the ceremonies, but no Christian leader. It is an affront to us," asserted Christopher Topno, a student. His colleague, Elizabeth Horo, nodded in assent.

The installation of the new dispensation has also rattled well-entrenched local leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress, the ruling combine in Bihar, many of whom had been appointed as heads of local bodies by the Bihar government. Their continuance is now at the mercy of the Marandi government.

"Bharatiya Janata Party workers are already saying that we will have to make way for its members now that Marandi has formed the government," said Congress leader Furkan Ansari.

However, much to the amusement of NDA leaders, local Congressmen are yet to decide on who will head the Jharkhand unit.

UNI adds:

Suspected ultras of the MCC blew up a three-km railway track in Hazaribagh district and also fired at a police picket near Charhi on Friday to enforce the 12-hour bandh.

According to Inspector General of Police Rameshwar Oraon, suspected MCC ultras blew up a three-km railway track in the Gola police station area of Naxal-dominated Hazaribagh district on Friday morning. The attack was aimed at paralysing rail traffic.

Striking members also took away the signal key from a railway cabin at Hindigiri in Ranchi district.

In another incident, extremists fired a few rounds on a police picket near Charhi to obstruct vehicular movement.

Oraon said barring these three incidents, no violence had been reported from the extremism-hit Lohardagga, Palamau, Chatra and Gumla districts. Other parts of the state remained peaceful, he said.

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