Section-144 in place at Jamshedpur’s Ganesh Puja ground for 13 years

Jamshedpur: Generally, section-144 is imposed at some place when law and order situation arises, it is removed in maximum two years after the district matter is settled. Kadma Ganesh Puja ground is under prohibitory orders under Section-144 that are in force for 13 consecutive years. The prohibitory orders were imposed from May 14, 2008 on the orders of Jharkhand High Court.

On Thursday, once again from June 25 till further orders, the Sub-Divisional Officer, Dhalbhum Nitish Kumar Singh has forwarded prohibitory orders. Actually, the reason for the controversy here was the memorial site of former MP Sunil Mahato. After the martyrdom of Sunil Mahato, his wife Suman Mahato became the MP of Jamshedpur after the by-election. Suman Mahto also lives in the same quarter of Kadma where her late husband Sunil Mahto also lived. Suman Mahato was building her husband’s memorial in front of the same quarter. 

 A statue of martyr MP Sunil Mahato was also called for to be installed there. When it was to be finalized before that Tata Steel filed a complaint with the East Singhbhum district administration for encroachment on the grounds. On the complaint of Tata Steel, the then Additional Commissioner Rakesh Kumar went there to stop the construction work. Since then, prohibitory orders are in force in that part of the ground.

Meanwhile, the then MP Suman Mahato came in front and protested. Seeing the opposition of Suman Mahato, wife of former Jamshedpur MP Sunil Mahato, the district administration went to the Jharkhand High Court regarding this matter, from where on 14 May 2008, the order to maintain the status quo till further orders came. Since then the next order of the High Court did not come, so the district administration forwards the general prohibitory orders under Section-144 at this place every three months.

It is to be known that the part of Kadma Ganesh Puja ground where prohibitory order is in force, that place or memorial site is only 20 by 20 feet. A fair is held around it every year on Ganesh Puja. No assembly or demonstration, gathering of five or more than five persons is prohibited at the memorial site only. About 100 meters from this site is the company quarters, while three parts of it are grounds.