Government to set up panel to identify families of Kharsawan massacre martyrs: Hemant

Jamshedpur: A committee will now be set up to identify the families of those who were killed in the Kharsawan police firing in 1948, chief minister Hemant Soren announced on Thursday.Hemant, who paid tributes to the deceased at Shaheed Sthal in Kharsawan, said the objective of the committee will be to honour the families of the martyrs in like the families who were killed in police firing in Gua (in 1980).The CM further said that the committee will delve into the history and compile a comprehensive list of the people who were killed in the police firing.On January 1, 1948, hundreds of tribal people had gathered in Kharsawan to chart their plans for an agitation demanding separate homeland from Odisha (of which the area was a part then). The gathering was in defiance of the prohibitory orders. Police opened fire on the crowd, leading to the death of several people.Notably, Shaheed sthal is the place where hundreds of tribals had gathered on January 1, 1948, for a meeting to chart strategy for the agitation on a separate homeland from Odisha, defying prohibitory orders. This prompted the police to open firing on the agitators’ crowd resulting in the killing of the several statehood activists.“It is the responsibility of the state govt to give due honour and benefits to the martyrs’ families.

The committee will see to it that no eligible family is left out of the govt recognition, and the welfare schemes designed for the descendants of the martyrs,” Hemant said. The state govt aims to identify the families of the martyrs before the next Shaheed Diwas (January 1, 2027), the CM said.Addressing a public gathering, Hemant said, “Our ancestors sacrificed their lives not only to attain statehood but also to protect the land, forest and the water bodies which are close to the heart of the tribals.” He also said the draft PESA rules, which was approved by the state cabinet last month, will empower the village committees (gram sabhas) in Scheduled areas. He also urged the farmers to install solar panels in their fields, generate power and sell it to the state discoms to open new avenues of earning.Minister Deepak Birua, Singhbhum MP, Jobha Majhi and other leaders also paid tributes to the martyrs.