Jharkhand: JMM blames BJP for Bhognadih clash, demands high-level probe

The ruling JMM on Wednesday alleged that the Bhognadih clash on Hul Divas in Jharkhand's Sahebganj district was a ''well-planned conspiracy hatched by the BJP'', and demanded a high-level probe into the incident. JMM general secretary and central spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya accused the BJP of creating disturbances in the Santhal Paragana region since the last assembly elections.

Reacting to the allegations, BJP general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Aditya Sahu said the JMM-led government ''wants to destroy the Santhal Paragana region with its appeasement politics''.

"The incident that took place on June 30 in Bhognadih was a well-planned conspiracy. The initial investigation by the police suggested that. The BJP has been attempting to create disturbances in the Santhal Paragana region since the last assembly elections. They want to turn the region into another Manipur," Bhattacharya alleged while addressing a press conference. The police had on Monday fired tear gas shells and baton-charged a group of people, protesting the dismantling of a stage, allegedly by the Sahebganj district administration, ahead of an official function to mark Hul Divas in Bhognadih.

The programme organised on Hul Divas in Bhognadih was a state event, as Sido, Kanhu, Chand, Bhairav, Phulo and Jhano are state as well as national icons, the JMM leader said. "When a state event is scheduled in a place, no political party's programme is permitted," Bhattacharya said.

The JMM spokesperson also claimed, ''The BJP wants to implement the Manipur model, which has kept the northeastern state disturbed for the past two years, in Jharkhand's Santhal Paragana region. But we will not allow them to turn it into another Manipur.'' Terming the Bhognadih incident a serious matter, he appealed to the government to conduct a high-level probe and expose all those involved in it.

''Instead of seeking an apology for the lathi charge and firing tear gas shells on tribals and descendants of Sido-Kanhu, the JMM is playing politics. The government wants to destroy the Santhal Paragana region with its appeasement politics,'' Sahu, the BJP MP, claimed.

Bhognadih is the birthplace of tribal icons Sido and Kanhu Murmu, who led the Santhal rebellion against British rule and local landlords in 1855-56. Hul Divas is observed on June 30 to commemorate the tribal uprising.

On Tuesday, two persons were arrested in Jharkhand's Godda district in connection with the Bhognadih clash. Illegal arms and other items were seized from their possession, and one of the accused is allegedly linked to a senior leader of a political party in Jharkhand, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)