The national vice-president of the BJP’s ST Morcha, Arun Oraon, has said that the Hemant Soren government had no right to observe Hul Diwas, the martyrdom day of freedom fighters Sidhu and Kanhu, since it had been totally indifferent to the murder of one of their descendants.

Rameshwar Murmu was murdered on June 12 at Bhognadeeh in Sahebganj district and his body was found on June 13.

Hul Diwas is observed on June 30 o remeber the sacrfice of freedom fighters Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu.

Oraon, from Gumla in Jharkhand, began his political career in the Congress but later joined the BJP. He now projects himself as a champion of tribal rights, said party sources.

Oraon said on Friday, “An 11-member fact-finding team visited Murmu’s bereaved family at Bhognadeeh. The state government’s extreme indifference and callousness towards the murder of Rameshwar, a vanshaj (descendant) of national hero Sidhu Murmu, who led the Santhal rebellion in 1855-56, is a matter of grave shame for the people of Santhal Pargana and for the whole of Jharkhand.”

“Will this state government explain its lackadaisical attitude towards this heinous murder? Will the police explain how many days it takes to register an FIR in a murder case? In this case, the police took five days to register an FIR. Who will explain this lethargy?” he asked.

“The deceased’s wife lodged the FIR. There was the name of one prime accused. He went scot free for 12 days and then on the thirteenth day he came to the court of law and surrendered. Will Sahebganj police concede it a total failure to nab this accused?” he asked.

Launching a scathing attack on the state government, Oraon said, “This government boasts of an Adivasi-Mulavasi government but here a descendant of a freedom fighter stands murdered. Neither Soren nor any of his cabinet colleagues found any time to visit this bereaved family.”

Oraon said, “We will not allow this government to pay lip service on Hul Diwas. We will not settle for anything less than a CBI inquiry into this murder.”