In a strong statement, the state BJP President and Leader of Opposition, Babulal Marandi, has leveled serious allegations against the Jharkhand government, accusing it of fabricating new crimes to conceal existing ones. Marandi asserted that the government and its associated systems have developed a disturbing habit of manufacturing new offenses to mask the reality of crime within the state. Recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) actions in the coal mafia’s stronghold in Dhanbad have unearthed startling evidence. However, what is deemed most alarming is the alleged directive from certain high-ranking police officials, who are reportedly benefiting financially from illegal coal trade, to ‘eliminate permanently’ key ground operatives of these coal mafias. This strategy appears designed to prevent incriminating information from surfacing. Reports suggest that individuals currently being questioned by the ED are targets of assassination plots, aimed at silencing them and suppressing the truth. Marandi recalled past instances in Jharkhand where ‘evidence encounters’ were staged under the guise of apprehending criminals. He referenced a former state Director General of Police (DGP) who faced accusations, even from ruling party members, of orchestrating contract killings and corruption, setting a new benchmark for malfeasance in the state. Marandi urged the ED to exercise extreme caution, emphasizing that in Jharkhand, those who suppress truth, rather than those who speak it, hold sway. When power, the system, and criminal elements converge, the perversion of justice becomes a mere formality.
