Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha — a coalition of social organisations to defend people’s rights — has approached Bokaro police superintendent alleging of wrong accusation by police against middle-aged tribal in Gomia block of Bokaro district.

A delegation of the Mahasabha in a memorandum addressed to the Bokaro SP Chandan Kumar Jha have alleged that Birsa Majhi, 43, a resident of Charpania in Lalgarh village under the Gomia police station of Bokaro district has been wrongly accused of being a Maoist by the police and eventually has a bounty fixed of Rs 1 lakh fixed on him.

“Birsa Majhi, a son of Rameshwar Majhi was recently called by the local police station and told that he is a wanted Maoist with prize money of Rs 1 lakh. Birsa is clueless and scared and has no idea of the case. We demand that police should stop harassing Birsa Majhi and rectify their mistake of targeting him as a wanted Maoist,” said Dinesh Murmu, a member of the Mahasabha.

The memorandum to the police informs that the Mahasabha had probed on its own into the case and found that Birsa Majhi, his wife, his eldest son are illiterate and two children can barely read. Birsa work in a brick kiln.

“Birsa is so poor that he offered to give his lawyer a couple of kilograms of bamboo shoot as he did not have the money to pay the fees. The harassment by police has worsened his crisis. Birsa continues to say that he is not a rebel the police official has asked him to surrender. Birsa is scared that he would be wrongly arrested soon or killed by the police,” the memorandum states.

The memorandum also informs that in 2005, Birsa along with some neighbours was wrongly accused in a case of witch-hunt when they had gone to negotiate a dispute with the in-laws of their sister. A neighbour of the in-laws informed the local police that they ‘party’ people. Birsa and the others were severely beaten in the local police station and then sent to Tenughat jail. They got bail within a month. All of the accused, except Birsa, have since been acquitted.

“A few years ago, when Birsa had gone to Andhra Pradesh for work, all meagre belongings of his family were taken away during a kurki-jabti (attachment),” memorandum adds.

Bokaro SP Chandan Kumar Jha admitted of the delegation members coming to meet him. “I was a bit pre-occupied and hence asked them to meet deputy superintendent of police Bermo (Satish Chandra Jha) with their petition. I have called them again on Wednesday morning and assure justice,” said the SP.