ROUPAR: Though the government for a separate Jhanad state is yet to pick up in their tribal dominated districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjahrd Sinbalpur, the just concluded panchayat elections have enabled the Jharkhandis establish them at the grace level. Their success in panchayat Samit is has boosted their morale, they agree and the Janata Dal is pursuing their relevance in these areas.

The Jharkhand Orisa are yet to turn violent in their encounters in Bihar but the authorities fear that the movement may be turning militant, the police arrested youth at Rourkela with a gun and 328 cartridges . It is suspected that the youth was carried for the Jharkhandis. A few weeks ago, an armed gang of militants from Jaraikela attacked a Jharkhand leader at Saranda village and killed him,

According to the authorities as well as Jharkhand leaders the movement is divided in Orissa. The Jharkhand party is active in Sundergarh and Keonijhar, the All Jharkhand Students Union is influential in Mayurbhanj and the JMM has limited pockets of influence in the villages close to the Bihar border.

However, the tribal leaders in Orissa villages are gradually alienating themselves from the JMM as they feel it is only interested in the welfare of Bihar tribals,

The role of the police is suspect in some areas of Sundergarh, According to P.C Jena, the sub divisional magistrate of Panposh sub-division in Sundergarh distinct, the administration has evidence of the police encouraging the Jharkhandis to extort money from traders and also supporting the anti-social elements in the JMM. The inspector in charge of the Birmitrapur police circle, Nawab Khan, was transferred when the SDM recorded evidence that he was encouraging the JMM during the recently concluded “rasa roko” agitation,

According to Jena, the inspector had been giving wrong information to the authorities about the JMM which was involved in smuggling iron. He also gave shelter to some JMM leaders from Bihar, Jena added,

Jena said the JMM was trying to gaina foothold in Sundergarh district. It had brought in men from Bihar during the recent Panchayat elections. Some of them were armed with knives and jathas, The IMM succeeded in winning control in 19% of the panchayat samis in Sundergarh district,

According to Jena, who served in Myurbhanjas revenue deputy collector, Jharkhand leaders have earmarked houses and offices for distribution among the trials if they were included in the proposed Jharkhand state. During the Bihar “asta roko” agitation, the Jharkhandis had tried to block roads in Rajrangpur subdivision also and they blew up a bridge. In Karanja block of Keonjhar to the Jharkhandis are emerging as a major force.

According to Islambuddin Ansari, vice president of the Jharkhand party and a member of the coalition committee for Jharkhand state, the party did not join the agitation for the proposed Jharkhand state along with the JMM in Bihar as it would launch a bigger stir shortly.

He lamented that the Bihar JMM leaders, Shibu Soren and Suraj Mandal were interested only in getting a development council for the tribal districts in Bihar and were ignoring the interests of tribals in other states.

According to Ansari, the Jharkhand party has 22 sarpanches in Orissa villages. He declared that the party would launch an agitation for a separate Jharkhand state in August. It would block roads but would not inconvenience the common man, he said. Party members would not allow movement of coal and other minerals from the Jharkhand states. However, there would be no obstruction of passenger traffic, he added.

Ansari said the Jharkhand part had recently submitted a memorandum to the Union home minister, S.B.Chavan, objecting to the creation of the Sharhand hill council in consultation with the chief minister of Bihar,

He demanded that a Bill be introduced in Parliament under Article 3. of the Constitution for creating a separate Jharkhand state comprising 26 districts of bihar Orissa west Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.

The growing dissatisfaction and frustration among people in the Jharkhand region would affect the economic growth of the country if the demand for a separate Jharkhand state was not accepted the memorandum said.

Article extracted from this publication >> June 10, 1994