Govt drops 100,000 cases against tribals

J’khand govt takes step after home ministry nod.

In a major initiative to win goodwill and choke public support for Naxals, the government has withdrawn over 100,000 cases slapped on tribals in centrally-ruled Jharkhand.

The Jharkhand government has taken the step following clearance from the Union home ministry on the recommendation of Governor K Sankaranarayanan that such an action was necessary, as tribals were being harassed unnecessarily over petty issues. The cases include stealing fruit from forest, cutting wood, grazing cattle, hunting and entering reserved forests without permission. “The tribals are running from pillar to post in connection with these cases. So, we reviewed the issue with the state government and advised them to withdraw the cases and they did it accordingly,” a home ministry official said. “We hope that by withdrawing the cases, we would be able to win the goodwill of the tribals and they will help us in the fight against Naxals,” the official said.

The decision comes in the backdrop of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s contention that growth of Naxalism “obliges us to look at what it is that causes the sense of alienation”. The Centre is all set to launch a massive offensive against Left-wing extremism in Naxal-hit states like Jharkhand where majority of the population belong to Scheduled Tribes.