Liquor bottles, chicken and mutton bones and empty packets of chips were recovered on Thursday from the sprawling grounds of the Old Birsa Jail at Jail More, Ranchi, where the country's most iconic tribal freedom fighter passed his last days.
Birsa Munda, aged only 25, had died in 1900 in this jail in Ranchi where he was incarcerated after being caught fighting the British.
One hundred and sixteen years later, the place, which should ideally be a heritage site, has no security, making it a perfect hangout for drunks and loiterers, rued the group of tribal youths who had taken up the cleaning mission.
Around 9am, a group of some 25 youths, including one girl, under the aegis of social outfit Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP), came with brooms to start sweeping Birsa's cell on the first floor of the two-storey building.
The group cleaned the cell and surrounding areas, the veranda and some parts of the lawn from 9am to 11am. They collected liquor bottles, leftover bones, packets and polythene bags in gunny bags. Then, they put up his picture on a wall and sang bhajans and prayed for an hour to "purify the ambience".
Pravakar Nag, district president of the social outfit, said they had mobilised adivasi youths to clean the Birsa jail with a two-fold aim. "We want to try and keep the Old Birsa Jail, which is no less than a heritage site, clean, and also bring today's tribal youths closer to the life and times of Birsa, who is revered like a god among us," he said.
Their plan came about after visiting the jail on June 9, Birsa's death anniversary, when they were shocked to see how dirty the place had become.
He said the youths performed the aadi-anadi prarthana, which in Sarna, is mostly about trees, water, nature and its relevance. "It felt good," he said. "We will clean up this place every Thursday, sing bhajans and perform prayers so that people who come here and pollute the place are shamed. Slowly, as this campaign picks up, we shall do it twice a week. As the campaign picks up, it will become a daily routine till the time the administration takes note of our initiatives and deputes regular employees for its upkeep. It's a tough job, but likeminded people are chipping in with donations or labour," he added.
Over the years, many rounds of detailed project reports (DPRs) have been made but the restoration of the Old Birsa Jail remains a pipedream.
Ranchi district administration is responsible for the security of the jail premises - a simple two-storey building and sprawling lawns - while state department of art and culture is supposed to look after renovation work. But, not much happens. A landscaped park developed by the forest department last year is already running wild.
DC Manoj Kumar did not take calls of The Telegraph despite repeated attempts.
What should the state immediately do for this jail? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
