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Terming the attack on Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren’s convoy on Sunday “violence on tribal Chief Minister by Manuwadi forces”, the state’s civil rights organisation, Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM) has said that while what had happened is “highly condemnable”, there is an urgent need to curb continuing sexual violence in the state, where the number of rapesper day are up from four in 2019 to five in 2020.
In a statement, JJM said, senior BJP leaders justifying the attack as “violence by an angry public” and slogans of Jai Shri Ram chanted in the crowd “is an example of the growing anti-Jharkhand Manuwadi violence in the state over the years”, underlining, “Manuwadi ideology is against rights of women. It is not surprising that right-wing forces which believe in Manuwad are raising the issue of violence on women in a violent, masculine and patriarchal manner.”
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Violence against women continues unabated in Jharkhand. The recent incident of rape and beheading of a woman in Ormajhi has exposed this again. Even after three days of finding the victim's body, neither she nor her culprits have been identified. Along with the continuing violence against women, this incident also raises serious questions on the law and order situation in the state. It is worrying that despite formation of a Jharkhandi government, violence against women has not reduced. Five rape cases per day (average) have been reported in 2020 as compared to an average of five cases per day in 2019.The BJP Yuva Morcha protested across the state on January 4 against the Ormanjhi case. In the evening of the same day, the Chief Minister's convoy in Ranchi was stopped, stoned and vandalized by a mob at Kishoreganj chowk. Many senior BJP leaders justified this attack as “violence by an angry public”. In a democracy, political opposition and protests demanding action from the state have their own importance. But, the mob attack on the chief minister’s convoy in Ranchi and consequent justification by BJP leaders raises many serious questions.
Slogans of Jai Shri Ram were chanted in the crowd. The attack on the tribal CM with such slogans and the support extended by the BJP to the event is an example of the growing anti-Jharkhand Manuwadi violence in the state over the years. This incident is highly condemnable. It must be mentioned that Manuwadi ideology is against rights of women. It is not surprising that right-wing forces which believe in Manuwad are raising the issue of violence on women in a violent, masculine and patriarchal manner.
Such violence increased widely in Jharkhand during the BJP's "double engine" government at the Center and the state. Lynching of Adivasis, Dalits and Muslims by mobs while chanting religious slogan of 'Jai Shri Ram' is a glaring example of this. Today the same mob opposed a tribal CM with religious slogans and hooliganism. The attack on the CM's convoy indicates the dissatisfaction of right wing forces against a Jharkhandi government based on the principles of Adivasi identity.
Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha demands from the state government to take prompt action in the rape and murder case in Ormajhi. Also, to curb sexual violence in the state, the government should prepare a comprehensive strategy after public discussion to curb sexual violence in the state. The strategy can include improvements in law and order situation, training on gender equality and justice in educational institutions and government agencies and so on.
Such a violent attack on the CM's convoy also shows the failure of the police administration. The government should take appropriate action on this issue. We also hope that the state government, in spite of such an incident, will not try to intervene on the democratic right to protest peacefully.
Mahasabha appeals to the Hemant Soren government and all gathbandhan parties to launch a mass campaign to promote and strengthen constitutional values and Jharkhandi philosophy and identity against the growing anti-Jharkhand Manuwadi ideology and violence in the state. All the organizations associated with Mahasabha will support such a campaign.
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