The activists of Jharkhand Janadhikar Manch (JJM) on December 14 burnt copies of a newspaper to protest the publication of "corrupt practices of ministers" in the Jharkhand government. The activists collected the copies of Dainik Jagaran from its advertising office at Albert Ekka Chowk here and set them on fire, police said. JJM leaders said: "The protest was against the publication of a news report on the subject which was sub judice."
Local newspapers reported that a PIL was on December 13 filed by a social activist, Durga Oraon, in Jharkhand High Court against some ministers buying land in several places after assuming the charge of respective ministries and the price of which exceeds their known source of income. Oraon demanded a CBI investigation into the matter. But only one of the newspapers drew the ire of the protestors, police said.
HRD minister Bandhu Tirkey, whose name figured in the report, told a news channel that he would quit from politics if the newspaper could prove that he had bought land in his name or in the name of any of his family members.
General secretary of Jharkhand Party, Ashok Kumar Bhagat, in a press release, condemned the burning of newspapers and described it as "a direct attack on the media which is known as the fourth estate of democracy."
