Keonjhar Villagers in Patna surround the police station.

Patna/Keonjhar: Hundreds of villagers from Patna tehsil gheraoed the Turumunga police station on Thursday morning, demanding the immediate release of six Jindal-Posco Resistance Forum (JPPM) leaders who were arrested on Wednesday night.
The arrested leaders have been identified as JPPM secretary Benudhar Sardar, his brother Bhubanananda Sardar, forum vice-president Saroj Kumar Singh, Ravindra Mohant, senior worker Anam Nayak, and Birendra Mahakur. The Turumunga police registered a robbery case (265/25) and produced them in court on Thursday. According to reports, over 2,000 villagers from the plant-affected areas took out a rally from Hatibari Square and reached the Turumunga police station via NH-49. Police detained the protesters near the service road in front of the police station, where they were staging a sit-in demanding the release of all those arrested and the return of their mobile phones, which were allegedly snatched during the arrests on Wednesday night.

They also demanded that the steel plant construction on agricultural land be halted, the MoU with POSCO be cancelled, and they declared that they would “shed blood for their land.” The villagers finally relented at 5 p.m. after Zila Parishad CDO-cum-EO Kumar Nagbhushan, ASP Snehashish Sahu, Patna Tehsildar Ashwini Nayak, the BDO, and senior police officers intervened and negotiated with them.

In a press release, JPPM President Ghanshyam Mohanta condemned the police action. He said, “We condemn the police for entering villagers’ homes at midnight and breaking doors and grills. The villagers are fighting to protect their homes and agricultural land. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested.” He further said, “They have been booked under stringent sections to make it difficult to get bail. They are protesting peacefully to protect their land.”
Raghunath Das, advisor and state secretary of the All India Krishak Khet Mazdoor Sangh and advisor to JOOM, called the arrests undemocratic. He said, “To weaken the movement against the acquisition of agricultural land by Jindal-POSCO, the Keonjhar district administration and police, at the behest of the government, broke the window grills of villagers’ houses at midnight and arrested six people, snatching their mobile phones.” He also alleged that the police resorted to lathi charge. Rashmi Ranjan Sahu, Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Champua, said, “We are talking to the protesters. Action will be taken as per the law.” Sources said that the administration is likely taking these steps to prevent any protests and ensure a peaceful Gram Sabha meeting for land acquisition, which is expected to begin soon in Patna tehsil.