Ranchi. In Latehar, Jharkhand, there has been a fierce struggle between the people of Tana Bhagat community and the police-administration who were gheraoing the district court on Monday. About half a dozen policemen have been injured in stone pelting. The protesting people also damaged several police vehicles. Many Tana Bhagats have also been injured in the lathi charge of the police. Due to this conflict, the area around the Collectorate and District Court in Latehar district headquarters remained a battlefield for about one and a half hours. On Monday, hundreds of Tana Bhagat gathered under the banner of All India Tana Bhagat Sangh surrounded the Latehar District Court. During this, he raised the slogan of closing the court-courts as illegal under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution and the PESA Act.
He declared that when the traditional tribal self-government system under the PESA law is not implemented in the tribal-dominated areas of the state, he will not allow any government office to run here. The judicial work was completely disrupted due to the protest. The police took out all the judicial officers through the back way. Latehar zonal officer Rudra Pratap and police inspector cum police station in-charge Amit Kumar Gupta tried to convince Tana Bhagat, but they stuck to their point, calling the court-court in the tribal-dominated area unconstitutional. are. The talks failed and after that the demonstration turned aggressive. Water cannon was fired at the protesters from the Police (Fire Fighting Vehicle). They were also lathi-charged. Half a dozen policemen were injured in the clash. These include Thanedar Amit Kumar Gupta, Satyanarayan Oraon, Kumari Amit Lakshmi, Anju Rose Khalkho, Manorama Kumari. They have been taken to the hospital for treatment. Here the police have detained 13 people including Ajit Tana Bhagat, Dhaneshwar Tana Bhagat, Sukhdev Tana Bhagat, Bahadur Tana Bhagat of All India Tana Bhagat Sangh. The situation still remains tense.
Several officers including SSP Anjani Anjan are present on the spot. Let us tell you that the people of Tana Bhagat sect coming from the tribal society are known as the community who worship Mahatma Gandhi and the tricolor, but there is a lack of education and awareness in this community. An administration official said that the people of Tana Bhagat community, known for their simple lifestyle, have been misled by some unwanted elements. This is the reason why they are protesting against the impractical demands by misinterpreting the constitutional provisions. Earlier in the month of April also, the people of Tana Bhagat community had locked down all the government offices located in Latehar District Collectorate for four days. (IANS)
