india

Updated: Jun 09, 2019 00:46 IST

Tribal drama activist and a lecturer in Jamshedpur Cooperative College (JCC), Jeetrai Hansda, who was arrested last month for his Facebook posts in May 2017 supporting beef party in Chennai, was released from Ghaghidih jail here on Saturday after a local count granted him bail on Friday.

“We released Jeetrai Hansda from Ghaghidih jail this morning after corrected court order on his regular bail was produced before us. He had got bail on Friday, but there were some mistakes and wrong entries in his release order issued by the court. Hence, he could not be released Friday evening,” Satyendra Chowdhry, Ghaghiidh jail superintendent, told the HT on Saturday evening.

FIR against Jeetrai, a National School of Drama (NSD) graduate, was lodged under IT Act and Indian Penal Code sections on June 2, 2017, on a complaint by ABVP after which Graduate College for Women had removed him from the college.

He was arrested on May 25, 2019, after remaining absconding for 22 months for Facebook posts supporting beef party in Chennai and expressing his wish to hold one such party in Jamshedpur.

Jharkhand had passed the cow slaughter law way back in 2005.

“I am happy having been released from the jail, but I demand that the government give tribals their rights to perform their traditional rituals, cultural activities, religious acts etc. These are guaranteed rights for tribals under the fifth schedule of the Constitution. It must implement and empower our village, our rule through Majhi-Pargana-Mahal model of self-rule,” Jeetrai told the HT after coming out of jail.

An unfazed Jeetrai further said he was still firm on his stand and Facebook posts on beef party.

“I just wanted to highlight our tradition of eating beef, anyone’s right to wear, eat and say as they wish in this country as per Constitution. We tribals eat beef on many occasions and one such occasion is Jaher Dangi when we sacrifice black cow. We also eat pork, snakes, scorpions, lambs, sheeps … almost all small animals … except elephant other big animals. The beauty of our country is unity in diversity and that should be protected at any cost. We should be allowed to live as tribals,” said Jeetrai.