After stone-pelting on carcade, Jharkhand CM diverts route to reach home

An irate mob on Monday pelted stones on Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren’s carcade while he was returning to his official residence from the state secretariat.

The attack was made near Kishoreganj in the state capital in the evening while chief minister Soren was on his way back from project building. The protesters, most of whom were women, were on road venting anguish over the brutal murder of a lady in Ranchi. The lady’s body was recovered from Ormanjhi locality on Sunday, prompting the BJP, the main opposition party to take to the streets.

The police handled the situation and diverted the carcade via Seva Sadan. The IG and DIG took control of the situation assuaging the protestors’ sentiment that was on the boil. The chief minister reached his residence safely.

Earlier, BJP mahila morcha delegation led by state president Arati Kujur met Jharkhand governor Draupadi Murmu highlighting the government’s failure in protecting women. She requested the governor to intervene into the matter and take appropriate action.

She said, “the women were being raped and subjected to torture while the Hemant Soren government was busy celebrating the completion of one year in power”. It’s frustrating and ridiculous, the government must go, she said.

The Bharatiya janata yuva morcha too staged a protest across districts. Yuva Morcha state president Kislay Tiwari said the Hemant Soren government has been neglecting the crime scenario and lost its trustworthiness. “If this is the scenario of the state capital, the condition in other places could be well understood,” he said, adding that the government should be dismissed immediately.

Commenting on the incident, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said it was a deliberate attempt to disturb peace in the state capital.

“The incident is deplorable. Such violence in name of protest in the state capital is an attempt to disturb the peace by stoking tension and violence. Some were reportedly been injured in the incident and had undergone treatment in Medica hospital,” he said.

Bhattacharya said the administration knows how to deal with such anti-social elements and it will take appropriate action against those behind the incident.

The JMM leader said that the frequent incidents of rape were unfortunate and mentioned that the state government has taken various measures such as opening fast track courts for speedy trial and conviction of the accused and special POCSO courts besides the launch of an app-based help for women in distress.