Mail News Service
Saraikela, Sept 14: Addressing a meeting at Sini Ukri Morh, convener of Adivasi Kudmi Samaj, Mulkhunti Moolmanta Ajit Prasad Mahato, announced a large-scale Rail Teka Movement across Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha on September 20. He said this protest was not just a demonstration but a struggle for restoring tribal identity, history, and justice.
It was decided to stop trains at three locations between Sini and Chakradharpur and two places between Sini and Gamharia. Mahato stressed that the demand for inclusion in the ST list was not about reservation benefits but about preserving the community’s identity, language, festivals, and culture.
Recalling history, he said Kudmis were wrongly removed from the ST list on 6 September 1950 under political conspiracy, despite legal and historical recognition of their tribal status. He pointed out that the CNT Act still applied to Kudmis, which proved the government had always treated them as tribals.
He criticized opportunistic leaders who, according to him, were misleading the public while the Kudmi community continued its decades-long struggle. Mahato reminded that Kudmis made immense sacrifices during the freedom struggle and the Jharkhand movement, with many facing jail, bullets, and even death.
“The role of Kudmi society was decisive in the creation of Jharkhand. We shed our blood, but what did we receive in return?” he asked sharply. Citing historians like Dalton, Hisley, and J.B. Hoffman, and reports like the Lali Commission that recognized Kudmis as tribals, he questioned why their rights were taken away.
Concluding, he appealed to Kudmis to unite for the Rail Roko Movement, declaring it a decisive fight for their identity and the honor of their ancestors. Hundreds of Kudmis from nearby villages attended the meeting.
