People on Dharna Day, October 12, 2011 at Kishanganj
It should be noted that a Maha Dharna was organized on October 12, 2011 in Kishanganj for pressuring the Bihar Government to allot the land for the proposed AMU Centre in Kishanganj thousands of people blocked the Delhi / Kolkata – Guwahati rail route and National Highway No 31. Although the blockade was pulled out in the midnight but the Railway GRP has filed a complaint under the case No 31/11 under the Acts 143, 353, 144 of Indian Penal Code along with 147, 174 (A) of Railway Act. Congress MLA Dr Jawed Azad (Kishanganj), RJD MLA Akhtarul Imaan (Kochadhaman), Congress MLA Tousif Alam (Bahadurganj), Ali Imran Ramz (Victor of Chakulia – West Bengal) and Gholam Rabbani (Goal Pokhar – West Bengal) have been made accused along with Congress MP Maulana Asrarul Haque.
Report Published in Roznama Sahara, Delhi on Feb 2, 2012
The warrant of Railways is widely condemned by the activists, educationists, political leaders, professionals, students and common people. In fact, people are watching this warrant as a biased approach of the Railways and the Central Government for the economically deprived state of Bihar. The ‘Maha Dharna’ was called by the Kishanganj MP to pressurize the Nitish Kumar led Bihar Government to fasten its approach towards the proposed AMU Centre in Kishanganj. Unwillingly the politicians and protestors blocked the Railway and National Highway, but once the Purnia Division Commissioner ensured to provide the land within 45 days the Dharna was called off.
Report published in Hindustan, Feb 2, 2012
However, the Ministry of Railways especially Mamata Banerjee and Railway Minister had shown irresponsible approach towards the cause of common people. The next day Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi in his statement to a newspaper said the act of protestors in Kishanganj was a ‘terrorising act’ and they behaved like terrorist. The statement was condemned by all sections of the society and an apology was demanded from Trivedi as well. Surprisingly, the same railway minister ‘kept a mum’ when the Rail was blocked for 72 hours in Telangana just a couple of days after the Kishanganj Dharna. The same Trinamool Congress that has dozens of dharna and blockage to its credit after coming to power in West Bengal changed its stand and given the unfortunate remarks.
Need of the hour is that, the Centre Government should not show a biased approach to the common people and politicians of Bihar. Of course, the 14 hour blockade caused huge trouble to passengers and railway suffered loss, but the cause of Dharna / Blockade was for the rights of common people. On behalf of people of Bihar, I request the Railways and Centre to withdraw the case against the Kishanganj MP, 5 MLAs, 15 common people and 500 unidentified protestors. If the Railways doesn’t withdraw the case of immediate basis, it might lead to another revolution / protest in the state of Bihar as people are ready to join leaders in ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’. And the UPA Government will be sole responsible for all.
