Condemning the police firing on a tribal protest in Jharkhand in which a man was killed, the CPI-M on Sunday demanded the Centres intervention to protect tribals' rights, including their right to protest.
The man was killed and three others were injured in Khunti district of the state on Saturday when the police opened fire on tribals protesting the Raghubar Das-led Bharatiya Janata Party government's decision to amend two state legislations on lands, which would have significant impact on the tribals.
"According to reports, the police fired around a hundred rounds to disperse the gathering, resulting in the death of one tribal leader, Abraham Munda, and critical injuries to five others," the Communist Party of India-Marxist said in a statement here.
"The BJP state government has during the last one month resorted to repeated police firing against popular protests. There have also been two custodial deaths during this period," the party said in the statement.
"Jharkhand is a state carved out in the name of protecting the interests of the tribals. The BJP government on the contrary is continuously threatening the tribals and other weaker sections of Jharkhand to negate the very purpose upon which the state was formed," said the party.
"The killing of tribals, according to established parliamentary practice, is not considered merely as a state law and order subject. The central government must intervene to ensure that the rights of the tribals are protected, including their democratic right to protest, and no further encroachment on their rights to land and forest produce must be permitted," the party added.
--IANS
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