CPI(ML) has strongly condemned the brutal lathicharge carried out by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on displaced protesters in Bokaro Steel City in Jharkhand on 3 April. In a press statement issued by Jharkhand state office in Ranchi on 5 April, CPI(ML) has termed the assault a "bloody beginning of a new phase of state-sponsored repression" aimed at crushing anti-displacement struggles in favour of corporate interests under the Modi regime.
CPI(ML) noted the central government is launching an offensive against Adivasis and local communities resisting forced displacement. CPI(ML) asserted that Jharkhand will not tolerate such repression, and that the intensified people's resistance in Bokaro and surrounding areas is proof that the struggle will continue.
CPI(ML) has also called on the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government to break its silence and take a firm stand in favour of the displaced. The party announced a statewide protest on 7–8 April and urged broader mobilisation in defence of the democratic rights of displaced communities. The short-term relief is not enough—instead, a comprehensive strategic policy review on displacement by both central and state governments is urgently required.
The state committee also warned against opportunistic political manoeuvres by the BJP and AJSU who are cynically exploiting the movement for narrow electoral gains."
Death of Protester and Failed Negotiations
The lathicharge led to the tragic death of a protester, Prem Mahato, and injuries to several others. CPI(ML)’s Jharkhand state committee has expressed deep condolences to the bereaved family and demanded immediate compensation for the victims and punitive action against the CISF officers responsible. The party has demanded that the Union Home Ministry and Ministry of Steel accept responsibility and has called for the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Steel Minister Kumaraswamy.
Senior CPI(ML) Politburo member Haldhar Mahato visited the injured protesters and the family of the martyred comrade Prem Mahato, expressing solidarity and reaffirming the party’s commitment to the struggle.
Following intense protests, all gates of the Bokaro Steel Plant have been blockaded for over 30 hours, bringing the plant's operations to a halt and trapping over 5,000 workers inside. Despite the urgent need for dialogue, the first tripartite meeting convened under Bokaro DC Vijaya Jadhav failed to yield any results. According to union representatives, BSL management has offered only contractual jobs to the family of the deceased and other apprentices. However, protesters are demanding direct employment within Bokaro Steel Limited (BSL). The management claims that no policy or authority exists to provide permanent jobs, which has led to a deadlock.
Condemning the brutal assault on displaced protestors in Bokaro, CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya asserted that the CISF has repeatedly been weaponised against the working class of Jharkhand. “Under the Modi regime, draconian Labour Codes, reckless privatisation, mass layoffs, and large-scale displacement have become the norm — and the CISF is being deployed as an instrument of repression to crush resistance,” he said. He demanded swift and decisive action to punish the perpetrators, ensure justice for the victims, and uphold the rightful demands of the displaced.
