More than one thousand people participated in a people’s awareness rally at the Markachho block headquarters in Koderma district on 22 January 2017 to mark the 13th anniversary of the Markachho firing in 2003 during which Mahesh Singh, Ashok Yadav, and Ratan Baranwal were martyred. The wives, children and families of the martyrs also participated in the rally which culminated in a meeting at the Shaheed maidan.
District Secretary Com. Mohan Dutta and other leaders addressed the meeting. They said that from its inception, the aim was to make Jharkhand a police state and a happy hunting ground for corporate companies; the Tapkara, Doranda and Semri-Banjari firing incidents were initial efforts to this end. During that period, Com Mahendra Singh had ignited a flame against the government’s pro-corporate policies. In order to brand the CPI (ML) as militant and to kill Com Rajkumar Yadav, the police used the false excuse of Maoism to fire from the roof of the Markachho thana, killing 3 brave party members who came to the rescue of Com Rajkumar Yadav. There was a state-wide agitation against this firing and finally the BJP government had to back down and announce a compensation of 2 lakhs to the families of the martyrs.
Com Vinod Singh said that the Modi-Raghuvar governments take away the people’s livelihoods, cash, and land and then resort to firing (as in Badkagaon and Gola) when the prople protest. Goons and criminals like BJP MLA Dhullu Mahto go scot free while ML leaders like BN Singh are jailed on false charges. CPI (ML) MLA Rajkumar Yadav said that the note ban has put the people in great distress; farmers are forced to sell their paddy at throwaway prices as the government is not purchasing it at the declared price of Rs 1600 per quintal. MNREGA funds are being looted. Amendments to the CNT-SPT Act have been passed by-passing all democratic institutions. The speakers said that we must continue and strengthen the agitation for justice to the martyrs, arrest of their killers, and against the government’s anti-people policies.
