Ranchi, Aug 23 (PTI) The Jharkhand Police on Friday used tear gas shells, water cannons and fired rubber bullets to disperse Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers who broke barricades during a protest rally here against the "injustice" meted out by the Hemant Soren government and its "failure to fulfil election promises".
The police baton-charged the protesters, gathered in the rally, when they tried to march towards Chief Minister Hemant Soren's residence, which is located near the Morabadi Ground, the venue of the protest programme, a police officer said.
A scuffle broke out between BYJM workers and police with both sides claiming that several protesters and policemen were injured in the melee.
Ranchi SSP Chandan Kumar Sinha said several policemen were injured after they were brickbatted by BJP and BJYM workers.
"They broke barricades to go towards the CM residence, and their leaders provoked them. They had only permission for the meeting but not rallies and violated prohibitory orders. Six-seven police personnel were injured. We will take action. They tried to take the lives of our policemen. They are raising 'Bharat mata ki Jai' slogans, and on the other side injuring the 'jawans of Bharat Mata'," Sinha said.
BJP leaders claimed several workers were injured during the baton charge by the police with party leader Amar Kumar Bauri claiming that the "time has come to wipe out the JMM-led coalition from the state". “No one can stop us,” he said.
Former BJP MP Yadunath Pandey was injured and hospitalised, a party leader said.
Former Union minister and ex-CM Arjun Munda said "police excesses" on "peaceful" protestors will not be tolerated.
BJP state president Babulal Marandi alleged that it was "pure hooliganism" by the police and said hardly 100 days are left before the state goes to polls.
Senior BJP leaders are now sitting on a "dharna" in Morabadi Ground, the venue of the protest programme, demanding stringent action against police officials for preventing people from participating in the peaceful rally.
The district administration enforced Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), which replaced Section 144 of the CrPC, within a 500-metre radius of the Morabadi Ground, excluding the premises.
The prohibitory orders banned public meetings, rallies, dharnas, demonstrations and gatherings of five or more people within this perimeter from 11 am to 11 pm on Friday.
Additionally, carrying arms, ammunition, explosives and traditional weapons such as lathis, spears, bows and arrows is prohibited and using loudspeakers is barred in the area, an official release said.
The Ranchi SSP said, "Permission has not been sought for the rally. It was for 'sammelan', which has been granted. Beyond the periphery of Morabadi Ground, we have promulgated prohibitory orders. So no rally is allowed in the area. We have made sufficient deployment."
Another police official said, "We have erected barricades near the chief minister's house and Morabadi Ground to prevent any untoward incident."
The police personnel baton-charged the protesters to prevent them from going towards the CM's house, he said.
Workers of the BJYM gathered in the Morabadi Ground to participate in the ‘Yuva Aakrosh Rally" since morning. They were raising slogans like 'Hemant Soren Murdabad' and 'police administration Murdabad'.
The BJP termed the imposition of prohibitory orders as an attempt to "stifle voices" of BJYM workers against the "injustice" meted out by the Hemant Soren government and claimed that hardly two months are left before the government would be shown the exit door in the assembly elections.
The order noted concerns that some organisations or parties are planning to hold dharnas, demonstrations and rallies and there is a possibility that protesters might gherao the chief minister’s residence.
"Such activities may disrupt government work, traffic movement may get affected, law and order situation may arise and public places may witness disturbances. Therefore prohibitory orders have been imposed," the order said.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan attacked the JMM government, alleging that it was attempting to "stifle the voices of workers", which would prove to be "the last nail in its ( the JMM government's) coffin".
Chouhan attacked the JMM-led government, alleging that it was preventing BJYM workers from reaching Ranchi from various districts as many buses were seized.
He alleged that the BJP workers throughout the night were made to deboard the buses in which they were coming to Ranchi from various districts.
"Barbed wire fencing were erected around Morabadi Ground...Even the arrogance of Ravana did not last long and if you think that you can suppress voices through force, you will not succeed," Chouhan said.
"Only a frightened CM (Hemant Soren) could resort to such practices. He is neither able to run the government nor his party. The Hemant Soren regime's contribution to the state is 7,812 murders, 7,115 rapes, 6,937 kidnappings, 8,792 riots, 2,721 loots, 485 dacoities and 2,73,261 other crimes. Infiltrators are grabbing tribal land, there is open loot everywhere. When BJYM workers asked about poll promises like 5 lakh jobs, efforts are on to stifle their voices," he alleged.
Union Minister Sanjay Seth alleged that the Hemant Soren government was "scared of the BJP as it failed to fulfil the promises made to the youth".
"The police are acting as a JMM worker in a bid to prevent our activists from reaching here. Democracy gives us the right to rally," the BJP state president said.