Munda govt drops charges, ‘rioters’, kar sevaks freed

• FIR (108/92) filed in Saraikela-Kharsawn in 1992: Sudama Singh and Roshan Singh indulged in rioting and damaged public property

They were among 30 named and 80 unnamed accused in these three cases of theft, mischief and rioting, all of them BJP supporters. With Lok Sabha polls round the corner, though, all of them are celebrating. The Arjun Munda government on Saturday dropped the charges against them.

These three were among 60 cases against 529 accused from different parts of the state, withdrawn by the Munda government as part of its efforts to provide amnesty to kar sevaks who took part in the temple movement leading to demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 when the state was part of erstwhile Bihar.

‘‘The state government has decided to withdraw these cases,’’ Cabinet Secretary Aditya Swaroop said. Several RSS, VHP and BJP leaders, including former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, had been vocal about the withdrawal of these cases. The move gained momentum after Munda dropped 340 cases last year against those who took part in agitations for a separate Jharkhand. Munda directed officials to identify the agitators at the district level and send the list to the state headquarters for the government to take a decision on the cases it wanted to withdraw.

The move has been welcomed by the BJP while it has evoked a sharp response from the Opposition camp. ‘‘We welcome the government’s move,’’ state BJP general secretary L.R.N. Shahdeo said. JMM MLA and Leader of Opposition Stephen Marandi said: ‘‘It is unconstitutional to free the kar sevaks since the Babri Masjid-Ayodhya case is still sub-judice. We are exploring if we can sue the government on the matter,’’ said Marandi.