Khunti/Ranchi: A joint team of state opposition parties on Saturday visited Khunti and demanded removal of the police camp from a village there so that the terrified villagers can return home and resume farming for the monsoon season.Representatives of Congress Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) and Left parties visited Ghaghra village and appealed to the villagers to return home. More than two third homes in the village were locked when the team reach there in the afternoon. The team, however, did not venture into Kochang in Arki block where the alleged gang rape of five women had taken place.Former chief minister and JVM-P president Babulal Marandi , who was a part of the delegation, expressed concern over the life of farmers being affected as they are not staying at their homes out of fear of being harassed by police in the name of supporting Pathalgarhi . “Pathalgarhi’ is not illegal and it has been a part of the tribal tradition. If someone is misleading the villagers, it is the duty of the government to establish a dialogue and create awareness instead of dealing them with baton and bullets” Marandi said.On the gang rape case, Marandi accused the government of politicising the matter. Questioning the reason for keeping the rape survivors in “solitary confinement” and the inability to arrest those named in the FIR, he said, “We condemn the incident and keeping the survivors isolated from society and even family members points to nefarious motives of the administration.”He added that the team did not visit Kochang, where the incident took place, as JMM MLA Paulus Surin had already visited the village and collected the necessary information. The team also demanded a CBI inquiry into the incidentFormer Union minister and Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay , his party member Pradeep Balmuchu, Niyel Tirkey and former mayor Rama Khalkho spoke to the villagers and assured them to talk to the government about removing the police camp. “When an elderly woman, Dulari Devi, and another person were returning from the field, they were beaten up brutally by the police, a sense of fear has spread among the villagers,” Sahay said, adding “A policeman at the camp told us that they have been asked to continue till further orders of the DC and the SP, which is nothing but high-handedness of the administration.”

Stay updated with all the Latest Ranchi headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.