Haldipokhar Market shuts down in protest, locals demand action against stone pelters, blame CO for inaction

Jamshedpur: After a stone-throwing incident on Friday during the Ram Navami procession at Haldipokhar under the jurisdiction of Kovali police station of Potka assembly constituency, the Haldipokhar market, which is located 30 km from Jamshedpur, remained shut down entirely as the shopkeepers observed a voluntary bandh on Saturday.

The locals sat on a dharna demanding action against the stone pelters. They also demanded action against the Potka CO Imtiyaz Ahmad for his alleged inaction.

The ex-MLA of Potka Menaka Sardar too accused the CO of not handling the situation well.

The locals sat on a dharna on the road and demanded action from the administration.

The locals said that due to its height, the Jhanda of one Haldipokhar Akhara broke during the procession on Friday night. The jhanda was subsequently mended and raised once more by the members of the Akhara committee, but at this time, some people started pelting stones at the procession injuring several persons, including the Mukhiya.

Suraj Mandal, a member of the local Zilla Parishad, alleged that Potka CO Imtiyaz Ahmed was there during the event but did nothing.

The locals demanded action against troublemakers and the CO of Potka.

Maneka Sardar, a former BJP MLA of Potka, also condemned the Circle Officer’s conduct during the procession and demanded that appropriate action be done against the persons who pelted stones and also against the CO.