Like the rest of the country, grief and anger culminated into street protests a day after a suicide bomber blew up a CRPF bus, reducing it to a mangled heap of metal and body parts and exacting the highest toll in a single attack in three decades of militancy in the Kashmir Valley.
Of the 37 officially dead in Thursday’s terror attack in Lethpora, Pulwama, head constable Vijay Soreng of the 82nd Battalion was from Ranchi. This added fuel to protests across the state on Friday.
In Chutia, Ranchi, people took out a protest march from Ram Mandir to Bahu Bazaar, and raised anti-Pakistan slogans. They also burnt an effigy of the neighbouring country accused of harbouring militants of the Jaish-e-Mohammed that has claimed responsibility for the attack.
BJP workers in the capital staged a similar demo at Albert Ekka Chowk, where Pakistan’s national flag was also torched. Party workers carried placard with incendiary messages.
Civil society members in Lower Bazaar thana area demanded action against “atankvad (terrorism)” and advocates of Ranchi civil courts took out a candlelight procession from Ranchi District Bar Association Building to Albert Ekka Chowk.
In Jamshedpur, DSP (law and order) Alok Ranjan, along with 200 policemen, condoled the death of Vijay Soreng and others at Shaheed Sthal in Golmuri. Seraikela-Kharsawan SP Chandan Kumar Sinha did the same at the CRPF’s 107 Battalion headquarters in Adityapur.
While the men in uniform paid their respects, 400-plus BJP workers shouted slogans against Pakistan and Pak-sponsored terrorists as they marched towards Sackhi roundabout. The national flag of Pakistan was burnt along with Islamic militants in effigy.
“The Indian government should act tough against militants and their sympathisers in Kashmir. The Centre should strike terror camps in Pakistan and take revenge,” said Dilip Kumar Sahoo of Sakchi.
Ram Gyani Sahee of Adityapur raised questions on national security. “Such an attack must have been planned for months. Around 200kg explosives were believed to have been used,” he said.
Unprecedented in the 30-year history of insurgency, if the assessment turns out to be correct, it will indeed raise questions like how the attackers amassed such a huge quantity of explosives when security forces have been carrying out relentless operations.
Various political outfits, including BJP and Congress, have lined up candlelight rallies and condolence meetings for the evening.
Relief for families
State chief secretary Sudhir Tripathi on Friday held a meeting with members of various government outfits, where it was decided that every government employee would donate a day’s salary to bereaved families. The money will be deposited in the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
Trade bandh
Confederation of All India Traders has called a Bharat Trade Bandh on February 18 to protest the Pulwama attack, said Suresh Sonthali, a senior state functionary of the outfit.
