A worker busy with the beautification of Albert Ekka Chowk in Ranchi. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Feb. 7: Hundreds of tribals today demonstrated at Nawatoli, the proposed site for a new Ranchi University (RU) campus, vowing to defy state orders and never to part with ?an inch of land? for the school.

To make sure that no one takes their protests lightly, the demonstrating crowd destroyed the foundation stone for the building, which was laid down by former deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani on November 15, 2003, and took the debris with them for ?personal use?.

The government had earlier sent notices to the populace in five panchayats informing of the state?s decision to acquire the plots in the area for the proposed educational establishment. The notices had also asked the people concerned to file their objections, if any, by the end of the month.

But the villagers today decided to ignore the notices that were served by the state and decided not to file any objections.

Today?s demonstration was organised by the Ranchi University Bistapith Sangharsh Samity and the Jharkhand Janadhikar Party (JJP).

According to the plan, the acres acquired from this area were to house certain departments of the university. About 117 acres are under the acquisition radar for the new campus, which would house the administrative building of the university and also the postgraduate departments.

As of now the administrative wing is located on Main Road, which is in the heart of the capital city. The postgraduate departments, on the other hand, are functioning from Ranchi College, Morabadi.

JJP spokesperson and the vice-president, Ratan Tirkey, said further plans are being charted out to protest the move. A ?massive demonstration? has been planned at Kanke Block. The date for this mega demonstration has been set as February 14, he added.

Further, a gherao demonstration targeting the Raj Bhavan is also in the works, Tirkey said.

However, the date for the Raj Bhavan demonstration has not been finalised.

A campaign against displacement would also be undertaken to drum up support against the ?reckless acquisition of tribal land? for development.

?A part of tribal and Muslim burial grounds fall on certain areas of the 117 acres earmarked for acquisition for the proposed Ranchi University campus. Beginning tomorrow, villagers would erect boundary walls to demarcate their burial grounds so that these plots, where their forefathers lie, are not harmed,? Tirkey said.