Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Champai Soren has been placed under house arrest at his Ranchi residence, preventing his participation in a farmers' land rights demonstration.
Soren announced the detention himself via social media on Sunday, stating, "The Jharkhand government has placed me under house arrest since this morning to prevent me from raising the voice of tribal and indigenous farmers of Nagri."
The arrest relates to Soren's planned attendance at a ploughing ceremony in Nagri concerning the contentious RIMS-2 land dispute. Thousands of supporters were expected to gather for the event, prompting authorities to restrict his movement.
The BJP has condemned the action as authoritarian overreach. In a statement on X, Jharkhand BJP declared: "Preventing former Chief Minister Champai Soren from participating in a programme to protect tribal and indigenous people's agricultural land by placing him under house arrest is outright dictatorship and reflects the state government's oppressive mentality."
Reports indicate the detention order was issued by Sadar Deputy Superintendent of Police. Police personnel have been deployed around the RIMS-2 land area as a precautionary measure.
