Champai Soren, former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and a prominent BJP figure, was placed under house arrest at his Ranchi residence in Lalpur. The City DSP initiated the action.
Soren intended to plow land in Nagri on Sunday, a move related to the ongoing dispute over the proposed Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences-2 (RIMS-2) site. A large gathering of protesters was anticipated. However, Soren was restricted from leaving his home prior to the event.
Soren publicized his situation on his X social media account, stating, “The Jharkhand government has put me under house arrest since this morning to prevent me from speaking out for the tribal/original farmers of Nagri.”
The BJP leader’s plan involved a ‘Hal Joto, Ropa Ropo’ program, which included protesting by plowing the disputed land in Nagri intended for RIMS-2. Numerous other BJP leaders are also reportedly being barred from the vicinity of the RIMS-2 land.
The administration has taken extensive precautions, deploying police personnel in Nagri and the surrounding areas to maintain order and respond to any disturbances, as confirmed by City DSP K.V. Raman.
The local populace is reportedly angered by the restrictions on cultivation and the presence of barbed wire fencing on the land allocated for RIMS-2 in Nagri and nearby villages. The ‘Nagri Land Bachao Sangharsh Samiti’ has been organizing a protest for several days, and has extended invitations to farmers from nearby villages to participate.
Local residents maintain that the land was acquired a significant time ago, but since no construction has occurred, the farmers believe they have a legitimate claim to the land.