Champai Soren Unveils Statue, Vows to Agitate for Displaced Workers’ Employment Rights
Key Points:
- Life-size statue of Prem Prakash Mahto unveiled at Sector 11, Bokaro by Champai Soren
- Former CM warns Bokaro Steel management to fulfil employment pledges without delay
- MALE MLA Arup Chatterjee, ex-MLA Vinod Singh among leaders attending the event
BOKARO — The first death anniversary of Prem Prakash Mahto, a displaced person who was killed during a CISF lathi charge at Bokaro Steel Plant during a demonstration demanding employment, was observed on Saturday.
Mahto had been part of a group of displaced persons agitating for jobs at Bokaro Steel. He lost his life when security forces resorted to a baton charge during the protest. His first death anniversary drew a significant gathering of political leaders and displaced persons at Sector 11, Bokaro.
On the occasion, a life-size statue of Prem Mahto was unveiled. Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren performed the unveiling. Meanwhile, MALE MLA Arup Chatterjee, former MLA Vinod Singh, and several other leaders and displaced persons were present at the event.
In his address, the former chief minister announced that he would launch an agitation alongside those displaced during the construction of Bokaro Steel. He said that the displaced would be united and that the group would resort to ploughing fallow land as a form of protest. Moreover, he issued a stern ultimatum to Bokaro Steel management, demanding that it honour its earlier promises to the displaced at the earliest. He called on management to provide employment to those who had lost their land.
On the other hand, former MALE MLA Vinod Singh said it was deeply unfortunate that even after so many years, the displaced were still having to fight for their rights and entitlements. He pointed out that the biggest reason for this continued suffering was the repeated alteration of government policies. In addition, he said that changing policies midway amounted to the biggest form of corruption in this country, as the displaced continued to wander from door to door because of policy reversals.
