“Historic success”: Former Jharkhand CM Champai Soren hails protest against RIMS-2 project at Nagri

Ranchi: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister [CM] and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Champai Soren on August 24 termed the protest against Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences-2 (RIMS-2) as ‘historic success’.

Soren who was put under house arrest by the administration, restraining his participation in the Hal Joto, Ropa Ropo’ protest extended his gratitude towards those who participated in the agitation against the land acquisition for the proposed RIMS-2.

“Congratulations! The farmers’ movement in Nagri has been successful. Amid the administration’s repressive attitude and tear gas shells, thousands of farmers, mothers, and sisters descended into the fields,” tweeted Champai Soren on Sunday.

बधाई ! नगड़ी का किसान आंदोलन सफल रहा।

प्रशासन के दमनात्मक रवैये और आंसू गैस के गोलों के बीच खेतों में उतरे हजारों किसान, माताएं एवं बहनें।

— Champai Soren (@ChampaiSoren) August 24, 2025

This come hours after the former CM in a separate post informed that he was put in a house arrest by the government.

“To prevent the voice of the tribal/indigenous farmers of Nagdi from being raised, the Jharkhand government has placed me under house arrest since this morning,” Soren said in a post on X.

Interacting with the media later, the tribal leader stated that “no matter how much force the government applies, not a single inch of land will be allowed to be taken”.

“This [protest at Nagri] has been a historic success. Our tribal and indigenous brothers have all been united by our senior leaders. We extend our gratitude to everyone. We will keep this unity and protect the land of Jharkhand,” said Champai while noting that the way forward will be decided further after discussion with all the stake holders.

Ranchi, Jharkhand: BJP MLA & former CM Champai Soren’s reacting on his house arrest, says, “This has been a historic success. Our tribal and indigenous brothers have all been united by our senior leaders. We extend our gratitude to everyone. This unity is dedicated to protecting… pic.twitter.com/kkdQAODomn

— IANS (@ians_india) August 24, 2025

Thousands of people reached the proposed site for RIMS-2 at Nagri on Sunday, defying prohibitory orders of the administration. In response, the police reportedly used mild measures to disperse the crowd such as firing tear gas shells.

The agitators however continued with ploughing and sowing seed under the ‘Hal Joto, Ropa Ropo’ program.

The state government has selected a site at Nagri for the construction of RIMS-2, aimed at improving the medical infrastructure of the state. The government’s move however has sparked protest from some quarters who have been pointing out that the the proposed medical institution should not come on fertile land of Nagri.