BJP’s Jharkhand working president and Rajya Sabha MP Aditya Sahu on Thursday flagged the recent police action on tribal residents in Chaibasa, urging the Centre to order a high-level inquiry into what he termed an excessive and unjustified crackdown.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Sahu said tribal villagers had blocked the Tata Bypass Road in Pokharia on 27 October, demanding a ban on daytime movement of heavily overloaded trucks. He noted that nearly 200 people had died in the area in the past two years after being hit by such vehicles, which had left the local population distressed and angry.
Sahu told the House that despite the scale of the grievance, neither the local MLA nor the state Transport Minister met the protesters. He alleged that after sunset, the administration ordered a lathicharge, used tear gas, and detained several villagers who were part of the sit-in. Police, he said, registered cases against 75 named persons, arrested 10 men and 7 women that night, and booked more than 500 unidentified people.
The MP also raised a separate allegation involving former Chief Minister Madhu Koda. He said that when Koda visited the Deputy Commissioner to submit a memorandum following the incident, the DC behaved inappropriately with him. Sahu added that such conduct towards a former Chief Minister, who holds Cabinet rank, was unacceptable.
He accused the state government of suppressing tribal voices while claiming to work for tribal welfare. Calling the incident “shameful for the state,” Sahu demanded action against the Deputy Commissioner and others involved. He urged the Union government to ensure a thorough probe to prevent any recurrence.