A video of a confrontation between the Deputy Commissioner of Jharkhand’s Giridih district and a group of women workers protesting over unpaid honorarium has gone viral on social media, prompting the Opposition BJP in Jharkhand to demand action against the official.
The incident occurred on Saturday, on International Women’s Day, when several women working as Jal Sahiyas — grassroots workers in the water supply system — staged a protest at the collectorate premises, alleging that they had not received their honorarium for the past seven months.
The protest took place during a one-day workshop organised at the collectorate as part of activities marking International Women’s Day under the Jal Mahotsav Pakhwada. Women workers from different blocks of the district had gathered to attend the programme.
In the video, workers were seen raising the issue of pending payments, claiming that their honorarium had not been disbursed for nearly seven months. When Deputy Commissioner Ramniwas Yadav arrived at the venue, the protesting workers began beating plates and raising slogans to press their demand. The protesters also blocked the main entrance leading to the DC’s office.
The DC reportedly stopped and asked the reason for the protest. In the video, Yadav is seen asking why they had not approached him earlier if their honorarium had not been paid. During the exchange, he asked some of the women individually whether they had received their payments. One of the workers’ leaders replied that she had received her payment but had joined the protest on behalf of others who had not.
The response appeared to anger the DC, and he said, “…I can arrest you. It is Women’s Day, and you are making fun of it…”
The viral video has drawn political reactions, with BJP leaders questioning the conduct of the district administration and seeking action against the DC.
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Reacting to the viral video, Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi criticised the district administration and demanded action against the DC. In a post on X, Marandi said Jal Sahiyas are the “real backbone” of the rural water supply system and play a crucial role in implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission, including ensuring water quality and sanitation.
Calling the incident “unfortunate and shameful”, he alleged that women who had gathered peacefully to demand their pending honorarium were subjected to reprimand and misconduct by the district administration. He urged Chief Minister Hemant Soren to ensure immediate payment of the pending honorarium and demanded that the officer apologise publicly to the women.
Responding to the controversy, Deputy Commissioner Ramniwas Yadav told The Indian Express that the programme had been organised to honour Jal Sahiyas from panchayats where the tap-water scheme had achieved full certification.
He said there are around 2,400 Jal Sahiyas in Giridih district, and payments had already been released to about 2,250 of them after funds were allotted by the department late last year. The remaining workers had either not submitted verification of the work they had carried out or were considered inactive, he claimed.
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“Those who had submitted details of their work have already been paid. Around 150 were identified as inactive or had not provided the required verification. Notices were issued to them earlier asking them to submit their work details so that payments could be processed, but we did not receive responses,” he said.
He said the district administration had earlier issued an order prohibiting demonstrations within 100 metres of the collectorate as it disrupts official work. “When I reached the venue, they had surrounded the staircase and entrance. I asked them what the issue was and why they had not approached the administration earlier if they had payment-related grievances,” he said.
Referring to the exchange captured in the viral video, Yadav said that one of the women, who was leading the protest, had already received her honorarium but said that she had joined the demonstration in support of others. “I told her that if she had already been paid, she should not have participated in the protest in that manner,” he said.
Yadav added that he warned the group that blocking the entrance and obstructing official work could attract legal action. “I told them that Section 144 is in force and that such obstruction could lead to arrest. It was a warning to disperse and restore order,” he said.
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He also rejected allegations that he had used abusive language in the video. “I said they were ‘making fun of’ the occasion. That phrase has been misinterpreted on social media as something vulgar. If you hear the video clearly, the words are ‘making fun of it’,” he said.
Yadav also said the administration has been encouraging workers to report grievances through proper channels and maintained that the district has tried to ensure that payments are not delayed once verification is completed.