Over 20,000 tribals, led by chief minister Raghubar Das and other BJP leaders, on Wednesday deposited the soil to be used in the construction of the statues of tribal heroes on the old campus of Birsa Munda Central amid protests by around 200 members of tribal group Kendriya Sarna Samiti.

The soil has been collected from tribal religious land and villages of tribal freedom fighters across the state during the last few days.

Around 20,000 tribals with their traditional musical instruments and wearing traditional clothes marched to the old jail campus in the heart of the city around 3pm after crossing the SSP’s residence, Radium Road and Circular Road.

“The idea behind the unique programme is to use the sacred soil to prepare the base of the statues of Birsa Munda and other trial heroes, including Telanga Kharia, Nilambar Pitambar, Sidho Kanho, Gaya Munda, Jatra Tana Bhagat and Budhu Bhagat, as part of the development project of the old campus of Birsa Munda Central Jail,” Ashok Bariak, vice-president of BJP’s ST front, said at the event.

Before depositing the soil, CM Das in his address at Morabadi, claimed his government was the real well-wisher of the tribals.

“Earlier political parties named after Jharkhand used the name of tribal martyrs to fill ballot boxes and money boxes. This is for the first time that some honest efforts are being made to give true respect to tribal heroes. The state government has allotted Rs 25 crore for the construction of statues to ensure that the next generation remembers them for their heroic deeds and get motivated,” Das said.

As chief minister was leading the march towards the old jail campus from Morabadi, members of the Kendriya Sarna Samiti were staging a sit-in protest against the programme at Birsa Chowk, round 6km from the jail campus.

“This is a drama. It is wrong to associate freedom fighters with one group. The government should have taken suggestions from the successors of freedom fighters across the state before organising such an event. The programme is politically motivated. BJP leaders have polluted tribal religious land for their political gains. We will purify them soon,” samiti president Ajay Tirkey said.