Members of 1974 JP Andolan Manch perform a havan in front of JP statue near Gandhi Maidan in Patna on Wednesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Aug. 11: Hundreds of members of 1974 JP Andolan Manch performed a day-long havan at the JP Golamber in Patna today in support of their demand for granting government pension to all those involved in the mass movement.

The Bihar government has announced pension only for those who were imprisoned under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (Misa) and DIR during the JP movement.

The havan was performed under the guidance of JP Andolan Manch founder Sri Prakash Malakar.

“The Nitish Kumar government must abolish Misa or Defence of India Rules and grant monthly pension of Rs 10,000 to all those who were jailed even for a month during the Emergency,” said Malakar.

Spouses of some of the activists involved in the JP Movement also participated in the havan.

“My husband was injured in police firing during JP Andolan but the government is not recognising him as an activist involved in the movement,” said Lalita Devi.

“The state government is granting pension to those who went to jail under Misa but what about us? Even we aggressively participated in the movement and fought for the masses,” said another activist Muni Lal Mathur.

Both Nitish and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi went to prison during the Emergency. So did Nitish’s arch rivals — RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan.

The state government is flooded with letters from people claiming to have participated in the JP Movement. The Bihar home department has received over 50,000 claims, many of the applicants claiming they went underground during the agitation.

The activists have also alleged that some government officials openly demand money to admit their claims. “The state government has announced the scheme but whenever we go to the office to claim our pension, the officials demand money to release it,” alleged a JP Andolan activist Shiv Shankar Prasad.

“People from different parts of Bihar are coming to claim their pension but they are being denied their rights on regular basis. The government must think and take some punitive action against erring officials before the Assembly election,” said Malakar.

“My husband had received bullet injury in his right leg and is unable to walk properly. Being the eldest in our four-member family, he is the one who runs it. How can the state government ignore his state and not give him any credit for his sacrifice?” asked wife of activist, Kamla Kumari.

Activist also demanded that the government release the list of people who died or were injured in police firing during Rail Roko Andolan on October 5, 1974, at the Patna City Railway Station.