Bokaro Protests Ignite Following Youth's Death in Police Action
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Synopsis
Tensions rise in Bokaro after a youth dies and several are injured during protests for jobs at Bokaro Steel Plant. Protests erupt across the city with calls for accountability from local leaders and ongoing demands for employment and compensation.
Key Takeaways
- Protests erupted after a youth's death during police action.
- Displaced individuals demand jobs at Bokaro Steel Plant.
- Political leaders joined protests, calling for accountability.
- Road blockages and city-wide impacts reported.
- FIR filed against Bokaro Steel and CISF.
Bokaro, April 4 (NationPress) Tensions escalated in Bokaro on Friday following the tragic death of a youth and injuries to several others during a lathicharge on displaced protesters advocating for job opportunities at the Bokaro Steel Plant on Thursday evening.
In reaction, large-scale protests erupted throughout the city on Friday. Various political entities, including the AJSU Party and the Jharkhand Loktantrik Kranti Morcha, in conjunction with organizations representing the displaced, initiated a bandh that significantly affected daily activities from the early hours.
Prominent figures such as Bokaro Congress MLA Shwettaa Singh and Dumri MLA Jairam Mahato joined the demonstrators on the streets. Road blockages were reported in numerous areas, leading to most businesses in the city remaining closed.
The displaced individuals, whose land was acquired for the establishment of the Bokaro Steel Plant decades ago, have persistently sought job opportunities and compensation. Many of the protesting youth have completed apprentice training at the plant and are now insisting on permanent positions.
On Thursday, a significant number of displaced youth and their families protested at the main entrance of the plant, obstructing access and preventing staff and officials from entering the facility.
Foreseeing potential unrest, Bokaro Steel management erected barricades. Around 5 p.m., as protesters overran the barricades and attempted to enter Ispat Bhawan, the headquarters of the plant, CISF personnel on-site resorted to a lathicharge.
Four demonstrators sustained injuries due to this police action, and one of them, 32-year-old Prem Mahato from Shibutand village under Harla police station, succumbed to his injuries later that night while receiving medical care.
The news of Mahato’s death incited further outrage. Congress MLA Shwettaa Singh hurried to the scene, holding the Bokaro Steel management accountable. “Their land was taken from them, and now they face lathicharges for demanding jobs. This brutality will not be tolerated,” she asserted.
Dumri MLA Jairam Mahato also visited late Thursday night, demanding immediate action from the state government, SAIL management, and the Bokaro district administration. “Those responsible must be arrested promptly,” he insisted.
Bokaro Deputy Commissioner Vijaya Jadhav confirmed that a First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against Bokaro Steel Limited (BSL) and the CISF. “The administration will take necessary measures,” she stated.
