FIR against 41 BJP leaders including 2 ex-CMs over Ranchi protest
The first information report (FIR) was filed on a complaint by executive magistrate Upendra Kumar, who alleged that the party workers violated the prohibitory orders
RANCHI: The Ranchi police have booked 41 BJP leaders including two former chief ministers Babulal Marandi and Raghubar Das, union minister Arjun Munda, parliamentarians and legislators under different penal provisions including those for rioting and causing hurt.
The case was filed on Tuesday night by the Dhurwa police station, hours after the BJP workers clashed with police personnel during their march to the state secretariat, leading the police to use water cannon and teargas shells to control the protesters who threw bottles and stone at the security personnel.
Police said several people including police personnel and party workers were injured in the clash.
The first information report (FIR) was filed on a complaint by executive magistrate Upendra Kumar, who alleged that the party workers violated the prohibitory orders.
“A case has been filed against 41 named and 1,000 unnamed persons… Further action would be taken accordingly,” a police officer said.
The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) said the police personnel were doing their job. “The entire protest and its messaging was to create communal tension and division in the society. The police should also look into that,” said JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya.
BJP leaders criticised the police for filing a FIR against opposition leaders for a political protest. “The decision to register a case against a political protest shows the frustration and political conspiracy. Let them do… the courts would ultimately see. This government has failed on all fronts and it is showing now. We will continue to expose them in future,” union tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda, who has also been named in the FIR, said.
