Jamshedpur, Jan 2: State DGP DK Pandey and chief secretary Rajbala Verma, on Monday reached Kharsawan and held closed-door meeting with the senior administrative officials over the incident at Kharsawan where shoes were hurled and black flags shown by a section of tribal at the CM Raghubar Das.
DIG Kolhan Sambhu Thakur, who held meeting with the SP Seraikela-Kharsawan Sanjeev Kumar and other senior police officials at Kharsawan however played down the security lapse theory. � There is no question of security lapses. The police had undertaken all security precaution but we hesitated to use force against the protesters fearing a stampede, which could have caused casualties,� countered the DIG.
Meanwhile BJP state president Laxman Gilua, who was also present with the Chief Minister to pay homage to martyrs of the 1948 firing at Kharsawan where shoes were hurled and black flags shown blamed JMM for the incident.
Gilua, who was in city today to attend a felicitation ceremony of businessman Bharat Singh who recently changed over from Congress to BJP speaking to media at party Sakchi office termed yesterday�s protest and hurling of shoes at chief minister as �dirty politics scripted by JMM�.
� The incident was nothing but dirty politics scripted by JMM and by hurling shoes at CM and showing black flags at a program held to pay homage to martyrs the JMM leaders have in a way insulted the martyrs.
We condemn such a political managed protest in the strongest term and the people of Kharsawan will give a fitting reply to JMM at the elections,� said Gilua who incidentally represents Singhbhum constituency in the Parliament of which Kharsawan is a part.
The party president however admitted of security lapses on the part of the administration at the program.
�We have come to know that a section of people had planned about such an agitation for last few days and hints of it was reported in some local media too. The administration should have been prepared for such protest especially when CM is attending the program,� said Gilua.
The BJP leader however strongly denied rumours of BJP tribal leaders difference over government�s move to amend Santhal Pargana and Chotanagpur tenancy Acts leading to such a protest in Kharsawan in the neighbouring Seraikela-Kharsawan district.
Amidst tight security near the Shaheed Sthal in Kharsawan, the Chief Minister had to face agitated tribal till he reached the venue where he paid tribute by placing a garland and instantly returned to the helipad for returning back to the steel city from where he had started at about 10.30 am.
Over 5,000 tribals, including women were present at Kharsawan for paying tribute to those who had fallen victims to police firing on January 1, 1948. The tribals, belonging to different tribal communities including Bhumij, Mundas, Oraons and Lohars had made a beeline from different parts of district since the morning.
But as the chief minister arrived there, a major section of the tribals started raising anti-slogans.
The apparently agitated tribals protested against the amendment in CNT and SPT Act by the Raghubar Das-led BJP government and were demanding him to roll back the amendment.