Owner of ‘Kolhan Independent Estate’ arrested for sedition in Jharkhand
Ramo Birua was wanted for hoisting the flag of Kolhan and inciting people for a separate ‘Kolhan Independent Estate’.
A special police team on Saturday arrested the self-proclaimed owner of the ‘Kolhan Independent Estate,’ octogenarian Ramo Birua from Chaibasa on charges of sedition.
He was wanted for hoisting the flag of Kolhan and inciting people for a separate ‘Kolhan Independent Estate.’
“We were keeping track of his movements and on Friday evening DSP (HQ) and a special team arrested him from a house in SPG Mission Colony here on a tip-off. He was sent to jail and we will soon take him on remand for further interrogation,” Mayur Patel Kanhayalal, West Singhbhum superintendent of police (SP), said on Saturday.
DSP Prakash Soy, who led the team, said they 84-year-old Birua was arrested from the home of his son-in-law Nirmal Pan and daughter Sumitra Pan around 6 pm on Friday evening.
Police also interrogated his eldest son Param Pratap Birua. The senior Birua was an additional deputy collector (ADC) under the State Administrative Service in erstwhile undivided Bihar.
Both his son-in-law and daughter are teachers.
“He was hiding there for the last two months. Earlier he was hiding inside Bandgaon jungle and his parental village Bhagabila in Manjhari too. He was wanted for hoisting a flag of Kolhan and inciting people by claiming that he was the owner of the Kolhan Independent Estate by order of the British Empire,” said Soy.
According to Soy, Birua was citing centuries-old British rules to buttress his claim that he was the present owner of the estate.
“Birua claimed the Kolhan Estate was neither in Hindustan nor in Pakistan but an Independent state given to him by British Empire (read his ancestors),” said Soy, adding, India is now an independent country with its Constitution which categorically declared all such British laws and rules null and void.
Birua had held a meeting in 2017 during which he had then hoisted the flag.
“He was wanted in connection with a case lodged for trying to hold a meeting and hoist Kolhan Estate flag at Bindibasa in Bhoya village in Pandrashali on December 18, 2017. He even claimed to have obtained bail,” he added.
In the case, an FIR was lodged against Ramo Birua, Munna Ban Singh and 45 others on the basis of statement by Khuntpani block development officer (BDO) Sunita Khalkho.
Munna Ban Singh was arrested later but Ramo Birua went underground and was absconding ever since.
Mysteriously, however, the fagitation spread to Jamshedpur too with 50-60 people allegedly hoisting the Kolhan Estate’s flag near Kharkai River at Bagbera here in December 2017. A case was lodged at against five named accused and a dozen unknown accused in this connection.
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