30 Tana Bhagat tribals arrested, sent to jail for violence in Latehar civil court

On Tuesday, thirty persons belonging to the Tana Bhagat tribal community were arrested and sent to jail custody for the violent protest at Latehar civil court in Jharkhand.

Latehar (Jharkhand): Thirty persons belonging to the Tana Bhagat tribal community were arrested and sent to jail custody on Tuesday for the violent protest at Latehar civil court in Jharkhand after police registered a named FIR against total 228 people, police said. An FIR was also registered against 300 unknown persons in connection with the incident in which the police were brickbatted and 17 personnel were injured, the chief judge gheraoed for five hours and the entry and exit gates of the court blocked by the protesters.

The secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Tana Bhagat Committee, Bahadur Tana Bhagat and its leaders Rajendra Tana Bhagat, Manoj Kumar Minz, Dharamdeo Bhagat, Dhaneshwar Toppo and Ajit Minz were among the accused named in the FIR for inciting the people, police inspector Amit Kumar said here. A strong police contingent remains deployed in and around the court as well as district collectorate to maintain law and order, he said.

Besides, police is keeping strict vigil on all strategic points of the district headquarter town apprehending that Tana Bhagats may enter it again, Kumar said. Police had seized 22 motorcycles on Monday from the spot in naxalite-affected Latehar, about 110 kms from Jharkhand capital Ranchi after the incident, Kumar said.

Trouble broke out on Monday when a 500-strong armed mob gheraoed the court for five hours accusing the district administration of ignoring constitutional provisions and demanded restoration of traditional rule as Latehar is under the 5th schedule of the Constitution. They brickbatted the police when its personnel tried to vacate the premises.

The protestors also broke the door frame metal detector at the office of district judge in the court premises, he said. The police had closed the main entrance to the court based on an intelligence input but the protestors forced their way through the small gate beside the main entrance.

Apart from Kumar, 16 police personnel including a sub-inspector, two assistant sub-inspector and three women constables were injured in the brickbatting by the tribals. This led to the police to burst tear gas shells and use the water canon to disperse the violent protestors.

The protestors, who are activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Tana Bhagat Committee, claimed that the functioning of courts and employment and entry of outsiders in Latehar district is prohibited under the 5th schedule and threatened to continue their agitation till the demand for implementation of their traditional system was met. (PTI)