As repression against tribals intensified in Khunti, social workers and intellectuals like us began writing consistently on social media in support of their rights
On June 26, 2018, a clash broke out between the police and villagers in Ghaghra village. During the firing, one villager was killed
Following this incident, those who were writing on social media came under the administration’s radar. I was slapped with sedition after I wrote a long post on Facebook
I still remember the date—July 28, 2018. Like any other day, I woke up in the morning and went about my routine, with just one difference, that day, I didn’t go to the office. Reading the newspaper has always been an old habit of mine. After finishing it, I was walking around in the courtyard when a friend called. His first question was, “Did you read the paper?” I replied casually, “Yes, I did.”
He asked again, “Then how do you sound so normal? Didn’t you see anything important?”
When I expressed my ignorance, he told me that my name had appeared in the headlines of that day’s Dainik Bhaskar. A case had been filed against me, along with 20 others, in the Pathalgadi issue. The moment I heard this, my heartbeat suddenly shot up. I ended the call immediately.
I was alarmed and rushed back home with the newspaper in my hands. My friend was right that we were in the headlines. As I read the report, my anxiety kept rising. It said that on July 26, 2018, the officer-in-charge of Khunti police station had registered a sedition case against 20 of us, allegedly because we had posted in support of the ongoing Pathalgadi movement in Khunti on Facebook. As I finished reading the entire news piece, I felt numb. However, somehow, I pulled myself together and made the first decision that my family must not find out about this, at any cost.
After some time, I started getting calls from acquaintances. Some expressed sympathy, while others advised me to switch off my phone and stay away from social media. A few suggested that I leave Ranchi, while some even told me to enter politics. However, my decision was clear that I would neither run away nor hide. I would stay exactly where I was and fight this battle from here.
To understand the whole scenario, the background is important. Around 2017, a movement began in Khunti and nearby areas demanding autonomy and self-governance. Since this is a Fifth Schedule area, special laws like PESA should have been implemented here. But even decades after Independence, the administration continued to function largely under general laws. As a result, outside interference and land grabbing in tribal regions increased, creating deep resentment within the Munda community. In response, they turned their traditional practice of Pathalgadi into a tool of resistance.
Stone plaques began to appear with articles of the Constitution inscribed on them, articles that supported tribal rights and self-rule. The controversy escalated when, while interpreting Article 19(5), the Pathalgadi inscriptions spoke of restrictions on outsiders settling in the area and doing business. Around the same time, the arrival of the Satipati group further complicated the situation, as they called for boycotting government services and even burning official documents.
As repression against tribals intensified in Khunti, social workers and intellectuals like us began writing consistently on social media in support of their rights. Our support was for constitutional rights, not for acts like boycotting government services. On June 26, 2018, a clash broke out between the police and villagers in Ghaghra village. During the firing, one villager was killed. After that, a mob abducted the security guards of a former Member of Parliament.
Following this incident, those who were writing on social media came under the administration’s radar. That evening, I wrote a long Facebook post, the essence of which was that the government should abandon its stubbornness and choose dialogue instead. I also added one more line, “Article 21 has been interpreted correctly.”
That was it. Based on just these two posts, a case of sedition was registered against me.
Given the seriousness of the matter, with the support of the CPI (ML), we held a meeting in Ranchi on July 30, 2018. The lawyers told us that the case had been registered under Section 66(A) of the IT Act, which the Supreme Court had already declared unconstitutional. We filed a petition in the High Court. Father Stan Swamy, Vinod Kumar, Alok, and I stepped forward to lead the process.
We even submitted copies of our Aadhaar cards for identification, which effectively ensured that the police pressure would now fall directly on us. The irony was painful, the very section that the Supreme Court had struck down was the basis on which the High Court dismissed our petition.
For nearly six months, things remained calm. But by the end of January 2019, the Superintendent of Police in Khunti issued orders for the arrest and attachment of property against the four of us. During this time, the police from Thethaitangar police station reached my home. They questioned my family members. When my family confronted me with questions, I had no choice but to tell them the entire truth.
On October 20, the police carried out attachment proceedings at Father Stan Swamy’s house. After that, the officer-in-charge spoke to me on the phone and admitted that there was immense pressure on him from above. I was fortunate that I was in Ranchi at the time.
In December 2019, Jharkhand saw a change of government and Hemant Soren became the Chief Minister. In his very first cabinet meeting, he announced that the sedition cases filed in the Pathalgadi matter would be withdrawn. It was a huge relief for us. However, the judicial process dragged on, and it was only in February 2023 that the court officially closed the sedition case against us.
These five years of struggle taught me a great deal. I saw up close how differently the meaning of freedom of expression changes depending on whether one is an ordinary citizen or someone powerful. During this period, even people close to me created distance. Now that the case has finally ended, life is slowly returning to normal. But one thing is certain: the fight for constitutional rights and justice will always continue.
The sedition case was registered in 2018, and it finally came to an end in 2023. In the journey from then till now, a lot has happened and through it, I got the chance to witness and understand many different kinds of experiences. Call it fate or misfortune.
The first two years were the most frightening. Until December 2019, there was probably not a single day that passed without the fear of arrest. After the government changed, there was definitely some relief.
One major change in my personal life has been whether or not we remain on the government’s radar, we are certainly on our family’s radar now. My family keeps a close watch on every Facebook post I make, worried that I might once again write something too sharp or too strong. But I have also
changed the way I work. Earlier, I used to put updates about my every action and activity on Facebook and social media. I don’t do that anymore. I still question the government, but now in a more satirical tone.
For now, all of us who had sedition cases against us are living with a sense of peace after being acquitted of this charge. But somewhere, this fear still stays with everyone, that in the next elections, the BJP/NDA government might return to power in Jharkhand. If that happens, we will have to think again about how to raise questions when the state takes anti-people steps or frames policies that go against public interest, or whether we should just stay silent.
In the end, it all comes down to one thing: compliance with the Constitution, and the freedom of expression.
This article is part of the Magazine issue titled Thou Shalt Not Dissent dated February 1, 2026, on political prisoners facing long trials and the curbing of their rights under anti-terrorism laws for voicing their dissent.
Views expressed are personal.
