Opposition-sponsored J'khand bandh evokes mixed response

A dawn-to-dusk Jharkhand bandh called by the JMM and supported by other opposition parties to protest amendments in the Land Acquisition Act evoked mixed response in the state today.

The bandh was called by the principal opposition Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and supported by the Congress, RJD and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha of former chief minister Babulal Marandi.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, however, denounced the bandh based on opposition parties "anti-development" views and counted benefits of his government amending the 2013 Land Acquisition Act to simplify it so that people giving land get compensation without delay.

There is no report of any incident in the state (during the bandh), Additional Director General of Police R K Malik told PTI.

Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police Anis Gupta said that around 800 bandh supporters were taken into custody and there was no report of any untoward incident.

JMM working president and former chief minister Hemant Soren was taken into custody during the bandh from Albert Ekka Chowk in Ranchi, party sources said.

PCC president Ajay Kumar, former speaker and Congress leader Alamgir Alam and former union minister Subodh Kant Sahay were held from Albert Ekka Chowk during bandh, state Congress spokesperson Alok Dubey said.

RJD state unit president Annapurna Devi was held in Koderma.

While former chief minister and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha president Babulal Marandi and his party MLA Pradip Yadav were taken into custody while staging protest at the Sujata Chowk in Ranchi.

Elsewhere, the bandh supporters were also taken into custody in Gumla (800), Garwah (240), Dumka (1680), Giridih (769), Dhanbad (535), East Singhbhum (2304) and Pakur (694) among others, state police headquarter said.

The bandh was called in protest against the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Jharkhand Amendment) Act, 2017 (Jharkhand Act-07/2018).

The state government had amended the 2013 Act through a bill passed in the Jharkhand Assembly in August last year.

The bill had done away with the impact assessment clause to allow government sponsored developmental projects.

The coming together of all the opposition parties for the bandh could be seen as signs of unity among the non-BJP parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

A Hazaribagh report said that the bandh evoked partial response here and neighbouring Koderma districts of the North Chotonagpur division.

Dumka SDO Rakesh Kumar said 800 bandh supporters were held.

The bandh had partial impact in Lohardaga with long distance buses and trucks remaining off the road, according to the police sources.

Garwah district also saw mixed response with 240 bandh supporters being arrested, the police sources said.

The bandh began amid tight security arrangements. The chief Minister said the people had rejected the bandh.

"There is a right to criticise in a democracy. Every person and every party has different views. And the opposition view is anti-development. As per my information the people of the state made the bandh unsuccessful," Das said.

"If negative views remain, then the people will teach them a lesson in the 2019 elections," he said.

The chief minister said that the government has simplified the Act so that the people giving land would not remain to get compensation for two years or two-and-a-half years.

Now the rayats will get compensation in eight months, Das said, adding that even the poorest of the poor desire development.

He said that the gazette notification to the Act was issued on June 29 this year.

Das said the development of the state is necessary; like construction of roads, canal, grid, sub-stations, colleges and other developmental projects.