In Ranchi, the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Champai Soren, a senior member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was placed under house arrest at his Lalpur residence. This action was orchestrated by the City Deputy Superintendent of Police.
The underlying reason for the house arrest was Soren’s intention to plow the disputed land in Nagri on Sunday, which is designated for the construction of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences-2 (RIMS-2). A large protest was anticipated, with a significant number of people expected to attend. However, authorities prevented Soren from leaving his home before he could participate in the demonstration.
Soren himself shared the news via his social media platform, X, where he wrote, “The Jharkhand government has put me under house arrest this morning to stop me from raising the voice of the tribal/original farmers of Nagri.”
As part of a ‘Hal Joto, Ropa Ropo’ initiative, the BJP leader was planning to protest by plowing the ground in Nagri that is slated for the RIMS-2 project. Furthermore, several other leading BJP figures are facing restrictions that prevent them from accessing the RIMS-2 land.
The administration has implemented comprehensive security measures, deploying police personnel in Nagri and its neighboring areas to ensure peace is maintained and to quickly address any potential disruptions. This was confirmed by City DSP K.V. Raman.
Notably, there’s considerable dissatisfaction among the villagers because they are being denied access to farm the land earmarked for RIMS-2, and because the area has been fenced off with barbed wire. The ‘Nagri Land Bachao Sangharsh Samiti’ is organizing a protest, with farmers from the surrounding villages invited to join the demonstration.
Local residents claim that while the land was acquired long ago, the farmers should have the right to use it as no construction has taken place.