Former Jharkhand CM Champai Soren Put Under House Arrest Amid Tribal Protest

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Champai Soren was placed under house arrest in Ranchi on Sunday, amid intensifying protests by tribal organisations against land acquisition for a multi-crore state-run health institute, reports said.

According to the police, Soren’s son, Babulal Soren, along with several supporters heading towards Ranchi, was also detained at a local police station.

In anticipation of unrest, security arrangements in the state capital were tightened, with heavy deployment of police personnel and barricades erected at key locations, officials added.

Calling the move “undemocratic,” Champai Soren said his house arrest was politically motivated and came because of his support for the protesting tribals.

Earlier at a press conference, the former CM alleged that the JMM-led government in Jharkhand was “grabbing the land belonging to tribals.” He further claimed that the state government had forcibly acquired land in Ranchi’s Nagri area for the proposed Rs 1,000 crore RIMS-2 hospital project. “The tribals were neither paid compensation nor served with notices to vacate the land,” he said.

ALSO READ: Hemant Soren Forms All-Party Panel to Study Tea Tribes Plight in Assam