In the Gola block of Ramgarh district in Jharkhand, land was procured for the Inland Power Limited in 2007-2008 by Girirraj Jhanwar and Sanjay Singh. They procured 4-500 acres of lands in Badhani Byang, Tonagaatu and Bariyaatu villages at Rs.1550/- per dismil and also promised employment and development for the villagers. No compensation however was paid to the farmers working on the gairmarjua land and they also illegally captured the Raiyat land. The land was thereafter transferred to Naveen Saagwaani and Maadna and the work on the Inland Power Plant started in 2011-2012 and the production in the factory began in 2013. During this while it has been only CPI (ML) that has consistently raised the issue of compensation, employment, rehabilitation, development and pollution and undertaken movements 4-5 times. Recently the struggle is being fought by forming the ‘Naagrik Chetna Manch’. On 22 August several rural farmers had gathered near the factory to raise their genuine demands but at around 4 pm in the evening the police unleashed a brutal assault on them. Two people- Dashrath Nayak and Ramlakhan Mahto died in the police firing and nearly a dozen people were injured. Post this firing the entire Bariyaatu region was turned into a police camp and the police patrolling was increased by imposing section 144. CPI (ML) leaders, activists and supporters gathered in hundreds in Gola Bazaar Main road and Ramgarh city to protest against these killings. They demanded that the genuine demands of the farmers be met, guilty policemen be charged with section 302 and arrested, 25 lakh compensation for the families of the dead and 10 lakh compensation for the families of the injured along with proper medical treatment of the injured. A memorial meeting was also called on 1 September.
