Surendra Soren
Ranchi
Hundreds of members of the Adivasi-Moolvasi community paid floral tributes on Friday to the martyrs of the Jharkhand domicile movement—Kailash Kujur, Vinay Tigga and Santosh Kunkal—at their memorial in MECON Colony, Ranchi.
Addressing the gathering, senior tribal leader Bandhu Tirkey said there is an urgent need to once again highlight and protect Jharkhand’s identity, traditions, history and cultural heritage. Recalling the history of the domicile movement, he said the aspirations of the martyrs have not yet been fully realised.
“We have not been able to fulfil the dreams of the martyrs completely. This is a challenge for all Jharkhandis,” Tirkey said.
He announced that the Shaheed Smarak Samiti (Martyrs’ Memorial Committee) would soon be reconstituted. He also said a traditional Shaheed Jatra would be organised at the memorial site to honour those who laid down their lives during the domicile movement and to educate the younger generation about their sacrifices.
Tirkey also urged people to actively participate in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. He further announced that a signboard naming the road from AG More to Kadru Railway Bridge as Shaheed Sanchu Oraon Path would soon be installed, stating that the road had already been officially named after the domicile movement martyr.
Former Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) member and Jharkhand movement activist Ratan Tirkey said language rights were one of the central issues of the domicile movement. He demanded that primary education in all government and private schools in Jharkhand be imparted in the state’s tribal and regional languages. He also called for making the study of at least one tribal or regional language compulsory in schools and colleges.
Ratan Tirkey further stressed that tribal communities and non-tribal “Khatiyani” residents of Jharkhand should unite to safeguard the state’s identity and social fabric.
Speaking on the occasion, Vijay Shankar Nayak, leader of the Adivasi Moolvasi Janadhikar Manch, said the time had come for the state government to accord official recognition and honours to the martyrs of the domicile movement. He alleged that despite the formation of Jharkhand 26 years ago, the state was yet to clearly define its local resident policy and identity.
Among those who paid tributes were former councillor Savita Kujur, Central Sarna Committee state president Shiva Kachhap, former mayoral candidate Praveen Kachhap, Belas Tirkey, Sunil Shahdev, Jasmine Kachhap, councillor and youth leader Shikha Kujur, Rajesh Kachhap, Zalil Ansari, Deepak Ekka, and several other social and community leaders.
