Saorsa
16th September 2008, 03:44
Land reforms minister leads land grab op Himalayan News Service Oversees house destruction, hut-construction operation Threatens to quit if PM intervenes
Siraha, September 15:
Maoist cadres, led by Land Reforms Minister Matrika Yadav, seized a two-storey 16-room house belonging to Birendra Shah and 11 bighas of land belonging to 75 persons in Ramnagar Mirchaiya-3 in Siraha today, a day after the police evicted the Maoists from the property on the direction of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam.
Besides Yadav, CA members Mahendra Paswan and Jagat Yadav and Maoist district coordinator Dilip Shah reached Ramnagar Mirchaiya at 10 am and re-grabbed the land. Yadav then asked Dalits and squatters to construct huts there, which they dutifully began in the afternoon.
Maoist cadres pulled down a house of fish trader Bishnudev Shah. Minister Yadav tried to beat up Shahs son when he raised an alarm after Maoists started pulling down the house. Maoists beat up Ram Bilas Yadav, principal of local Himalaya Boarding School, for trying to obstruct them. Minister Yadav oversaw the land grab operation for three hours, ordered policemen guarding the site to leave and deployed PLA personnel there. Some 300 security personnel, who were guarding the property, left the site after the Maoist action.
What can we do when a minister acts forcefully, said a policeman who was scared to give his name. Hearing the news of home ministers order to vacate the land and the house, Yadav had arrived in Mirchaiya this morning.
Speaking at a press conference organised on site, Yadav said he would supervise the construction of huts on the seized land. He threatened to quit as minister, and from the party, if the PM intervened in the land dispute.
He alleged Home Minister Gautam was protecting Birendra Shah who got the Dalits beaten up by deploying police force. Maoist district in-charge Dilip Shah has issued an ultimatum to the government to compensate the Dalits, whose huts were pulled down, within a week.
Cadres of MJF staged a demonstration after the seizure of land. To avert any untoward incident, district administration clamped curfew from Balankhola in the east to Kamala River in the west and areas adjoining East-West Highway in Siraha from 8 pm to 4 am, CDO Bal Krishna Panthi said.
MJF cadres had been staging an agitation since the Maoists seized the property on August 30. MJF withdrew its agitation yesterday but has threatened to launch an agitation soon.
Siraha, September 15:
Maoist cadres, led by Land Reforms Minister Matrika Yadav, seized a two-storey 16-room house belonging to Birendra Shah and 11 bighas of land belonging to 75 persons in Ramnagar Mirchaiya-3 in Siraha today, a day after the police evicted the Maoists from the property on the direction of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam.
Besides Yadav, CA members Mahendra Paswan and Jagat Yadav and Maoist district coordinator Dilip Shah reached Ramnagar Mirchaiya at 10 am and re-grabbed the land. Yadav then asked Dalits and squatters to construct huts there, which they dutifully began in the afternoon.
Maoist cadres pulled down a house of fish trader Bishnudev Shah. Minister Yadav tried to beat up Shahs son when he raised an alarm after Maoists started pulling down the house. Maoists beat up Ram Bilas Yadav, principal of local Himalaya Boarding School, for trying to obstruct them. Minister Yadav oversaw the land grab operation for three hours, ordered policemen guarding the site to leave and deployed PLA personnel there. Some 300 security personnel, who were guarding the property, left the site after the Maoist action.
What can we do when a minister acts forcefully, said a policeman who was scared to give his name. Hearing the news of home ministers order to vacate the land and the house, Yadav had arrived in Mirchaiya this morning.
Speaking at a press conference organised on site, Yadav said he would supervise the construction of huts on the seized land. He threatened to quit as minister, and from the party, if the PM intervened in the land dispute.
He alleged Home Minister Gautam was protecting Birendra Shah who got the Dalits beaten up by deploying police force. Maoist district in-charge Dilip Shah has issued an ultimatum to the government to compensate the Dalits, whose huts were pulled down, within a week.
Cadres of MJF staged a demonstration after the seizure of land. To avert any untoward incident, district administration clamped curfew from Balankhola in the east to Kamala River in the west and areas adjoining East-West Highway in Siraha from 8 pm to 4 am, CDO Bal Krishna Panthi said.
MJF cadres had been staging an agitation since the Maoists seized the property on August 30. MJF withdrew its agitation yesterday but has threatened to launch an agitation soon.