Jharkhand Civil Society Raises Alarm Over Communal Tensions, Urges CM to Intervene

Jharkhand's civil society organizations and activists have urged state chief minister Champai Soren to handle the escalating tensions that are intended to upset communal peace, especially in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

Nearly a hundred students, social activists, and civil society organizations voiced their worries about the use of religious occasions for political purposes in an open letter. The letter claims that some socio-political forces have been causing instability by holding religious programs and putting religious symbols in public places. It was also delivered via email to the chief minister's official address. It charges the organizations with harming social cohesiveness by performing offensive and provocative music during religious gatherings.

"Those who belong to certain socio-political groups are acting against secularism in order to further the political interests of a certain party, causing social turmoil and disrupting peace in society. It says, "Religious flags, banners, and symbols are being installed in public places, roads, electricity poles, mobile towers, government offices, police stations, police and paramilitary forces camps, etc. Religious programs are being organized continuously at public places in the cities, blocks, villages, and towns of the state."

The activists specifically draw attention to the pervasive flying of religious flags and banners, especially in the wake of a religious event on January 22 that saw the conspicuous flying of a particular religion's flag across Jharkhand and into Republic Day.

The letter supports for strict respect to the Supreme Court's directions, including the filing of FIRs for hate speech, and demands for the immediate removal of religious symbols from public locations within 48 hours following religious celebrations.

This appeal follows the requests made by activists to the chief secretary of Jharkhand earlier in January to have the religious flags taken down. At the time of publication, however, efforts to contact the chief secretary for comment went unanswered.