Parties appeal for withdrawal of case against Deepanker

Patna, Jun 4 (UNI) In a rare show of solidarity, a wide spectrum of political parties today asked Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda to withdraw a criminal case lodged against the CPI (ML) General Secretary Deepanker Bhattacharya.

Signitaries to a letter written to Mr Munda in this regard were LJP vice-president Ranjan Prasad Yadav, Samajwadi Party vice- president Shanker Prasad Tekriwal, CPI national executive member Jalaluddin Ansari, state CPI (ML) secretary Ramjatan Sharma and a CPI (M) leader.

The Jharkhand government had booked Mr Bhattachayra and his four associates under different sections of IPC and now a fast track court of Ranchi was hearing the case.

Mr Sharma told newspersons here that the police lodged 'false and fabricated' cases against Mr Bhattacharya and his colleagues, who were holding demonstrations before Jharkhand Assembly on March one, 2001 against the police firing on tribals, killing four of them and leaving 15 others injured.

Tribals were protesting the Jharkhand goverments decision to revive the 'controversial' Koelkaro project when the police had opened fire on them at Tapkara village in Jharkhand on February 2, 2001.

UNI/DH SJC/src1827