Mangal Hembram Alleges Pressure to Join JMM; Seeks DC’s Intervention for Family Safety
Key Points:
- BJP’s booth-98 president in Potka faces social boycott for refusing to join JMM
- Family barred from well, pond, and utilities after June 1 UCIL protest participation
- Mangal Hembram petitions deputy commissioner seeking probe and protection
POTKA — A BJP booth president from Talsa village in Potka block, East Singhbhum, has appealed to the district administration after his family was allegedly subjected to a social boycott and death threats for refusing to switch political allegiances.
Mangal Hembram, the BJP president for booth number 98 of the Potka assembly constituency, approached the deputy commissioner’s office on Thursday. He alleged that the village’s traditional headman and certain residents had pressured him to leave the BJP and join the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. On his refusal, a social boycott was declared against his entire family.
According to Hembram, he had participated in an agitation at Turamdeeh UCIL Mines on June 1. The protest was organised over the demands of displaced persons and project-affected villagers in Jharkhand. Several senior BJP leaders had also attended the agitation in support.
Hembram alleged that the same night, a village meeting was convened. The gathering, held in his absence as he was on duty, decided to take action against him. His family members were warned to vacate the village. Moreover, those present were allegedly threatened with serious consequences if they opposed the decision.
A group of hundreds arrived at his home late that night. They delivered the boycott decree directly to his mother. The family was barred from attending all village social events. Additionally, villagers were directed not to speak with them. Access to the common handpump and village water sources in East Singhbhum was also cut off. Electricity and water supply were threatened to be disconnected.
“My family is living in fear and insecurity since this incident,” Hembram said in his petition to the deputy commissioner. He questioned under what law a person and his family could be socially boycotted merely for their political affiliation.
In the memorandum submitted to the deputy commissioner, Hembram demanded a fair investigation into the matter. He also called for action against those responsible and sought security for his family in Potka. All eyes are now on the district administration’s response to his petition.
Social boycotts in tribal-dominated villages of Jharkhand have frequently been used as instruments of coercion. However, Potka’s elected representatives have previously emphasised the importance of community rights and cultural identity. The incident has now raised wider questions about political freedom and democratic rights in rural Jharkhand.
