Former Jharkhand CM Champai Soren placed under house arrest ahead of RIMS-2 land acquisition protest

Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], August 24 (ANI): Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Champai Soren has been placed under house arrest hours before his planned protest against the land acquisition for the proposed Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS-2) in Kanke area of Ranchi.
"To prevent the voice of the tribal/indigenous farmers of Nagdi from being raised, the Jharkhand government has placed me under house arrest since this morning," Soren said in a post on X this morning.
Deputy Superintendent of Police KV Raman said the step was necessary to maintain law and order.
DSP Raman said, "To maintain law and order, appropriate measures have been taken. The police have intervened, and he will remain at home for now. He was also asked to cooperate in this matter. This step is essential for upholding law and order."
Speaking to ANI, Soren said, "When DSP sahab came here and said that I don't have to move today, meaning I don't have to leave the house, I understood that he would not let me go anywhere. So I said that it's okay; if the administration and the government have made a decision, then we will not violate it."
BJP has condemned today's action by the Chief Minister Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government against Champai Soren.
"Even while going to participate in a program organized for the protection of the agricultural land of the tribal and native people of Jharkhand, this thug alliance government has imposed a restriction and placed former Chief Minister Shri @ChampaiSoren Ji under house arrest since morning, which is outright dictatorship and reflects the oppressive mentality of the state government.
Union Minister Sanjay Seth took to X to post in hindi that the house arrest of Soren who raised his voice in favour of the rights of the tribal indigenous farmers of Nagdi, is a black mark on democracy.
"The attempt to destroy fertile agricultural lands in the name of RIMS-2 is in no way beneficial to the public interest. By placing former Chief Minister Shri Champai ji under house arrest, the government has demonstrated dictatorial behaviour. A kind of undeclared emergency era is prevailing in the state. Instead of improving systems, the governance and administration have resorted to dictatorship, which is unacceptable in any form."
Meanwhile, Champai Soren in a subsequent post on X said that the farmers' protest has been successful.
"Congratulations! The farmers' movement in Nagri has been successful. Amid the administration's repressive attitude and tear gas shells, thousands of farmers, mothers, and sisters descended into the fields," Champai Soren wrote in his post on X.
Earlier this year in May, Jharkhand BJP President Babulal Marandi said that the land proposed for the construction of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS-2) in Kanke area of Ranchi was fertile farming land and said that the government should look for "barren land".
He alleged that farmers are being "driven away" and warned of a protest.
"Unfortunately, the government wants to build RIMS-2 on the fertile land for farming. The government should find barren land. Farmers are being driven away from their farms. People are protesting against this, and police have been deployed here. We request the government to remove the police from here and let people do farming, otherwise there will be a protest. If needed, tribals will be brought from all over Jharkhand and a protest will be held here," the BJP leader told AN after visiting the proposed site of the RIMS-2. (ANI)