State uses optimum force to thwart BJYM Akrosh Rally in Ranchi, several injured

Ranchi: The Jharkhand Police on Friday used tear gas and water cannons to disperse Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers who breached barricades during a protest rally against the Hemant Soren government, accusing it of “injustice” and failing to deliver on election promises.

The protesters attempted to march towards Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence near Morabadi Ground, the rally’s venue, prompting police to charge with batons. BJP leaders claimed several workers were injured during the incident, with party leader Amar Kumar Bauri asserting that it was time to remove the JMM-led coalition from power. “No one can stop us,” he declared.

Former Chief Minister Arjun Munda said, “We had never seen such an act in Jharkhand earlier. The JMM government is trying to suppress the voice of the youth. The police used water cannons and tear gas on youths protesting peacefully.”

The district administration had invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), which replaced Section 144 of the CrPC, to impose prohibitory orders within a 500-meter radius of Morabadi Ground from 11 am to 11 pm on Friday. The orders banned public gatherings, rallies, and demonstrations, and prohibited carrying arms or using loudspeakers in the area.

A police official stated that batons and water canons were used on BJYM workers after they violated the prohibitory orders and forcefully broke the barricades and tried to enter the Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence.

Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police Chandan Kumar Sinha told the media that permission had been granted only for a meeting, not a rally, and that prohibitory orders had been implemented beyond the ground’s periphery to prevent any rally.

The SSP further added that despite appeals to keep the event within the permitted scope, the protesters clashed with police near the chief minister’s house.

The BJP criticized the prohibitory orders as an attempt to silence the voices of BJYM workers, with Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan arguing that the JMM government’s efforts to suppress dissent would lead to its downfall. Chouhan alleged that the government had even seized buses to prevent BJP workers from reaching Ranchi.

Chouhan further accused the Hemant Soren government of failing to deliver on its promises, citing a rise in crimes during its tenure and claiming that the government was attempting to stifle protests. He predicted that the government’s days were numbered, comparing its actions to those of former prime minister Indira Gandhi during the Emergency.

After force was used on BJP workers by police, senior leaders of the saffron brigade including Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence Sanjay Seth, former chief minister Babulal Marandi and Arjun Munda along with other state legislators of the party sat on dharna.