National Games may get a flavour of Assam violence

Ranchi: The violence in Assam is likely to cast a shadow over the National Games scheduled to take place in Ranchi next year.

A prominent tribal organisation, the Adivasi Chatra Sangh (ACS), has threatened not to allow players from Assam to participate in the games.

"We will continue our protest till our demand for Schedule Tribe (ST) status is accepted by the Assam government. Tribal people have been living in Assam for more than 150 years," said Chamara Linda, president of the ACS.

"We also demand a judicial probe into the attack on tribals in Assam. The judicial probe should be conducted by a sitting or former Supreme Court judge," he said.

The ACS has also threatened to launch an economic blockade. The Jharkhand Dison Party (JDP), another tribal organisation, has supported the demand.

"We will not allow minerals to go outside the state. The country is prospering by exploiting the minerals produced in Jharkhand and the tribal people are brutally killed in other states. We will not tolerate such incidents," said Salkhan Murmu, the JDP chief.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren has drawn flak for changing his statement on the killing of tribals in Assam.

Soren is heading a team constituted by the state government to assess the situation in Assam. Soren, along with three other ministers, went to Assam and returned Tuesday.

After returning from Assam, Soren said only one person was killed in the recent violence and accused the media of "false reporting". However, pictures of those killed were shown on TV channels and published in newspapers. This invited sharp reactions from the tribals.

"Shibu Soren is playing politics over the dead. Soren is speaking as a spokesperson of the Assam government," fumed Karma Oraon, a tribal scholar.

Two former Jharkhand chief ministers - Arjun Munda and Babulal Marandi - who visited Assam have also criticised Soren.

"Soren is speaking the language of the Congress. It is unfortunate that he is giving a wrong figure of those who died in the violence," said Marandi.

Munda said: "Soren is lying. He is trying to become a minister in the central government and that is why he is speaking the language of the Congress."