The state government of Jharkhand is facing serious accusations of fabricating new crimes to conceal existing ones. According to opposition leader and BJP state president Babulal Marandi, this tactic has become a disturbing habit for the administration and its systems. Recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) actions in the coal mafia’s stronghold in Dhanbad have brought to light shocking evidence. Most alarmingly, it is reported that some high-ranking police officials, benefiting from illegal coal earnings, have allegedly tasked coal mafiosi with eliminating their own ground-level operatives to prevent the truth from surfacing. There are credible reports suggesting plots to murder individuals currently being interrogated by the ED, aiming to silence them and bury crucial information. This echoes a grim history in Jharkhand where ‘evidence encounters’ have been staged under the guise of apprehending criminals. The state has previously witnessed a Director General of Police (DGP) accused of orchestrating contract killings and setting new benchmarks for corruption. The opposition warns the ED to proceed with extreme caution, as in Jharkhand, those who suppress the truth, not those who speak it, hold power. When power, the system, and organized crime align, the subversion of justice becomes a mere formality.
