The administration is planning to stop a rally planned by a newly formed outfit against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the Mango locality on December 24.
The outfit, the Samvidhan Bachao Sangharsh Samity, led by someone named Saifuddin Asdaque, has called a Jan Akrosh (public anger) rally on December 24 morning from Gandhi Maidan in minority-heavy Mango to Aambagan ground in Sakchi.
“We are not against peaceful protest but the model code of conduct would be in place in the city on December 24 and as per the directive of Election Commission of India any assembly of persons needs permission from the administration. So far no one has approached us,” said Dhalbhum sub-divisional officer (SDO) Chandan Kumar. “Section 144 (of the CrPC) is in place in the city. Even if they approach, we will look into the sensitiveness of the situation before giving them permission.”
However, other senior officials in the district administration said permission for the rally was not even in question as the results for the six Assembly seats in East Singhbhum district would be declared on December 23 till late evening and majority of the security forces would be engaged in ensuring law and order near the strong room in Jamshedpur Cooperative College and its approach roads.
“We cannot take a chance of allowing a protest rally on December 24 that too against an Act from any part of the city as it can lead to a serious law and order situation,” said a senior administrative official who requested anonymity.
A senior police officer said: “The memories of a similar rally called by an outfit, Muslim Ekta Manch, in May 2017 against lynching of four Muslim youths in Rajnagar (Seraikela-Kharsawan) had turned violent which led to communal flare-up in different parts of city specially Mango, are still fresh in our mind. We cannot allow a similar situation to be repeated once more.”
Members of two outfits, Hindu Utsav Samity and Sampoorna Hindu Samaj, on Monday met East Singhbhum deputy commissioner and district electoral officer Ravi Shankar Shukla, urging him to deny permission to the proposed December 24 rally.
Shukla said that so far no outfit had sought permission for rallies or meetings.
“Hence, taking out a rally on December 24 without our approval would be illegal,” the DC added.
