Farmers Movement Archive

Tractors, garland of rotis mark protest day in Ranchi

Ranchi: The nationwide bandh call against the Centre’s farm laws saw dramatic scenes unfold in Ranchi as leaders of various political parties used symbols related to farming, hunger and the state of Indian farmers to register their protest on Tuesday. While rallies on foot and on bikes accompanied by slogans were common across Ranchi district, JMM leader and chairperson of the state commission for women Mahua Manjhi sat on a tractor arranged by her supporters. Manjhi said, “I wanted to show that our farmers should be strong and progressive instead of being exploited by capitalists under the new law.” Meanwhile, Maxist Coordination Committee leader Susanto Mukherjee arrived wearing a garland of rotis (flat breads) and Congress leaders sat on a dharna at Albert Ekka Chowk with a plough. State finance minister Rameshwar Oraon, agriculture minister Badal Patralekh and a few others rode and auto-rickshaw while shouting slogans. Addressing mediapersons Oraon said, “The Centre is determined to turn our farmers into agriculture labourers. The agitations will continue till the laws are withdrawn.” Party spokespersons Alok Dubey and Lal Kishorenath Shahdeo, who led protests at Albert Ekka Chowk, said the party has been staging protests since September demanding a rollback of the new laws. “The laws were passed unconstitutionally and Congress stands in solidarity with the farmers across the country,” they said. JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said, “Framing of such laws is a state subject and the new legislations by the Centre violate the federal spirit of the Constitution.” The bandh, enforced between 11am and 3pm, saw many commercial complexes remaining shut in Ranchi. While political parties and trade unions such as JMM, Congress, RJD, CPI, CPM, CPI(M-L), Marxist Coordination Committee (MCC) and Centre of Indian Trade Unions supported the bandh, religious bodies like the Gurdwara Guru Singh Sabha, Markazi Majlis and Central Moharram Committee took out processions on the Mahatma Gandhi Road. Members of the Gurdwara Guru Singh Sabha said, “The Sikh community stands with the farmers as they provide citizens with food.” The sabha was echoed by the Muharram committee which said the laws must be annulled. Assembled at Albert Ekka Chowk, political parties blocked roads and burnt effigies of the Centre and demanded a roll back of the farm laws and threatened protests until their demands are met. Reports from rural areas of Ranchi district said farmers’ bodies blocked roads at several places, including Rahe and Thungrudih. Jharkhand Rajya Kisan Samanvaya Samiti said the bandh was successful in several parts of rural Ranchi, including Sonahatu, Silli, Bundu and Namkum. Meanwhile, movement of long distance buses were affected as several bus owners abstained from operating their vehicles fearing vandalism. The normally busy Ranchi-Jamshedpur national highway wore a deserted look during the day. Kishore Mantri of Bus Owners Association said, “There was no hindrance in plying vehicles, but many busses did not operate due to lack of passengers.” Trains services remained normal in the Ranchi division, said officials. Meanwhile, police said bandh supporters disrupted movement of traffic on the national highway in Gobindpur in Dhanbad district and Barhi Chowk and District More in Hazaribagh district. Reports of blocking of roads also came in from Ranchi, Gumla, Palamu, Latehar, Chatra, Dumka, Pakur, Giridih and Seraikela, but police intervened to restore normalcy. As many as 108 bandh supporters were arrested in Gumla, 125 in Jamshedpur and 135 in Dhanbad, but later on they were set free.

The Times of India

2020-12-09

Ranchi