Bhojpuri & Magahi removed as regional languages from Dhanbad, Bokaro after days of stir

The Jharkhand government has withdrawn Bhojpuri and Magahi as regional languages from Bokaro and Dhanbad districts.

A fresh notification, signed by the principal secretary, was issued late on Friday night in this regard. In it, the government has mentioned only ‘Nagpuri, Urdu, Khortha, Kurmali and Bangla’ as regional languages for the two districts.

According to an article in the Indian Express, the move was the result of days of massive protests held in several parts of the state over the inclusion of Bhojpuri and Magahi in the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examinations for appointments in Bokaro and Dhanbad district.

The protests that had reportedly spread over Ranchi and Giridih began after the Hemant Soren government issued a notification regarding selection of matric and intermediate candidates through examinations in December last year. The notification had included Bhojpuri and Magahi as regional languages in Dhanbad and Bokaro districts.

According to the protesters, the two districts had very few people speaking in the two languages and including the same for examinations amounted to “infringement on the rights” of locals, in this case Adivasis (tribals) and Moolvasis (non-tribal locals).