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Tribal man finds his name on wanted Maoist list, seeks CM’s help
A 43-year-old tribal man in Bokaro district of Jharkhand on Tuesday urged chief minister Hemant Soren for help, alleging he has wrongly been framed and branded as a Maoist by the local police which is asking him to surrender as he carries a reward of ₹1 lakh on his head.
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A 43-year-old tribal man in Bokaro district of Jharkhand on Tuesday urged chief minister Hemant Soren for help, alleging he has wrongly been framed and branded as a Maoist by the local police which is asking him to surrender as he carries a reward of ₹1 lakh on his head.
A local rights activist tweeted a letter on behalf of the man, Birsa Majhi, who is uneducated and works as a labourer.
In the letter, Majhi, father of four children, has claimed he fears for his life and wants his name to be cleared. Majhi is a resident of Charpania village under Jogeshwarnagar police station of Bokaro district.
Sunil Baski, 20-year-old son of Majhi, told Hindustan Times on Tuesday that his father was summoned by the police station in-charge last month and asked to surrender since he was a “wanted Maoist and carries a reward of ₹1 lakh on his head”.
“We are not educated. We don’t even know in which case he has been named as a Maoist. The policemen at the station told my father that he could also get some money if he surrenders,” said Baski, adding that a few villagers and activists were helping them in the matter.
Siraj Dutta of Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha, a rights group which is helping Majhi, said the man is innocent and that it seems to be a case of mistaken identity.
“Majhi is facing a trial in an old case of witchcraft in 2006. Like other accused in that case, he will also be acquitted as he is innocent. And out of nowhere, he has now been branded as Maoist. In 2018, all his belongings at his home were attached by police when Majhi was in Andhra Pradesh for work. His family was not even served a proper notice and they don’t still know in which case that action was taken. We demand the CM to intervene in the case and provide relief to this poor tribal,” said Siraj.
Lakshmi Prasad, who appeared for Birsa Majhi in the 2006 case, said he is innocent and is likely to be acquitted. “Six of the other accused in the case have been acquitted as the charges could not hold. This man is still on trial just because he could not appear for hearings as he is poor man wandering for work,” Prasad said.
On the new charges, Prasad said they have no clue in which case police wants Majhi to surrender.
Jogeshwarnagar police station in-charge Kanhaiya Ram dismissed allegations that he had directed Majhi to surrender. “I did not summon him and I have not even met him. Would I have allowed him to walk free if he is a Maoist carrying a reward of ₹1 lakh? Only he can say who did he meet at the police station,” said Ram.
About allegation of his property being attached in 2018 without any notice and whether any case is pending against Majhi in his police station, Ram said, “I will have to check the records as this police station was established only a few years back and many files are still in record room with Mahuatand police station from which Jogeshwarnagar station was carved out.”
