Former Jharkhand CM and BJP leader Champai Soren was placed under house arrest on Sunday morning, just hours before he was due to join a protest against the state government’s plan to acquire farmland for the proposed Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS-2) in Kanke, Ranchi.”To prevent the voice of the tribal/indigenous farmers of Nagdi from being raised, the Jharkhand government has placed me under house arrest since this morning,” he said in a post on X.Deputy superintendent of police KV Raman said the move was taken as a precautionary measure to maintain peace.”To maintain law and order, appropriate measures have been taken. The police have intervened, and he will remain at home for now. He was also asked to cooperate in this matter. This step is essential for upholding law and order,” Raman said.The former minister told ANI that the police had instructed him not to step out.”When DSP sahab came here and said that I don’t have to move today, meaning I don’t have to leave the house, I understood that he would not let me go anywhere. So I said that it’s okay; if the administration and the government have made a decision, then we will not violate it,” he said. BJP has sharply criticised the Hemant Soren-led state government’s decision. In a statement, the party said, “Even while going to participate in a program organized for the protection of the agricultural land of the tribal and native people of Jharkhand, this thug alliance government has imposed a restriction and placed former chief minister Shri ChampaiSoren Ji under house arrest since morning, which is outright dictatorship and reflects the oppressive mentality of the state government.”Union minister Sanjay Seth also denounced the action, posting on X that it is a black mark on democracy as Champai raised his voice in favour of the rights of tribal indigenous farmers of Nagdi.”The attempt to destroy fertile agricultural lands in the name of RIMS-2 is in no way beneficial to the public interest. By placing former Chief Minister Shri Champai ji under house arrest, the government has demonstrated dictatorial behaviour. A kind of undeclared emergency era is prevailing in the state. Instead of improving systems, the governance and administration have resorted to dictatorship, which is unacceptable in any form,” he wrote.Despite his detention, Champai Soren later claimed that the farmers’ protest in Nagri had been a success. “Congratulations! The farmers’ movement in Nagri has been successful. Amid the administration’s repressive attitude and tear gas shells, thousands of farmers, mothers, and sisters descended into the fields,” he posted on X.The land acquisition for RIMS-2 has been a contentious issue for months. In May this year, Jharkhand BJP President Babulal Marandi warned the government against using farmland for the project. “Unfortunately, the government wants to build RIMS-2 on the fertile land for farming. The government should find barren land. Farmers are being driven away from their farms. People are protesting against this, and police have been deployed here. We request the government to remove the police from here and let people do farming, otherwise there will be a protest. If needed, tribals will be brought from all over Jharkhand and a protest will be held here,” Marandi told ANI during his visit to the proposed RIMS-2 site.
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