Sieged Marandi seeks Ram

At a stone8217;s throw from Marandi8217;s 3, Kanke Road residence is the police lines where the cops are on a strike since February 22 midnight.

Jharkhand Policemen8217;s Association president Ramchandra Pandey says: 8216;8216;We will be compelled to extend our agitation if our demands are not met by February 27.8217;8217; Their six-point charter of demands include parity in salary with the Centre8217;s securitymen, uniform allowance and promotion of 378 constables and havildars.

Pandey was dismissed, along with another JPA member, constable Dewanand Tiwari, on different charges framed by DIG R.R. Prasad today. Sources said Pandey had been chargesheeted in a case of rioting and attempt to murder at Munger, Bihar, in 1992, while Tiwari had allegedly tried to run down Ranchi SSP M.V. Rao with a police van outside the state secretariat on February 19.

The government has also identified a dozen other JPA members, who have breached the police manual, and is likely to book them for indiscipline in the next two days.

But an advertisement published by the police department in 8216;8216;public interest8217;8217; in local newspapers this morning claims the government has already met their demands. 8216;8216;Before the reorganisation of the state, 1,156 posts were created for literate constables. Of them, 778 constables were already promoted as literate constables. The state is yet to promote the rest,8217;8217; reads a communique signed by JPA general secretary Jitendra Hansda.

A senior IPS officer asserts that the leaders of the striking cops, belonging to the Home Guards, Vigilance, Special Branch, Intelligence and Fire Brigade, are not up in arms for these demands. 8216;8216;Their main problem is related with the decision to shuffle them from one division to another.8217;8217;

In fact, the revolt started brewing after 150 constables and havildars, who had managed to stay at a place for years, were given marching orders. 8216;8216;We have heard that the state is planning to call in the Army to deal with us. They will not succeed,8217;8217; said a constable while marching past the CM8217;s residence this afternoon along with 50 others.

State Home Secretary J.B. Tubid has declared their agitation illegal. And Marandi has gone on record saying: 8216;8216;We will not succumb to any pressure tactics.8217;8217; A section of the RAF and two companies of the CRPF were deployed in the town today to maintain law and order and provide security to VVIPs, including Governor M. Rama Jois.

But the police stir is not Marandi8217;s only headache. About 2000-odd staff of the Ranchi Municipal Corporation has also gone on an indefinite strike, demanding salaries on par with their Central counterparts.

8216;8216;We will not return to duty till our demand is met,8217;8217; said RMC Karamchari Sangh President Abadh Behari Tiwari, as 150-odd sweepers and peons staged a demonstration outside the RMC office this morning.

Alongside, five dissident Ministers 8212; Revenue Minister Madhu Singh, PWD Minister Jaleshwar Mahato, Excise Minister Ramesh Singh Munda and Energy Minister Lalchand Mahato 8212; have threatened to pull out of the government if Marandi is not dismissed by February 27. In the 82-member Assembly, the CM survives on the support from 45 MLAs.

Rumours are doing the round that the rebel five may join hands with the Opposition to topple the government on February 28. Their choice of a Chief Minister is Inder Singh Namdhari, the Assembly Speaker. 8216;8216;This is why Marandiji is reciting from Ramayana,8217;8217; says CPIML MLA Mahendra Singh.