Marandi: Jharkhand Govt Manufacturing Crimes

Jharkhand’s Leader of Opposition, Babulal Marandi, has publicly accused the state government of fabricating new criminal incidents as a tactic to obscure the reality of existing crime. Marandi highlighted that the authorities and the established system in Jharkhand have seemingly adopted a strategy of inventing fresh offenses to cover up ongoing illicit activities. Investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the extensive coal operations in Dhanbad have brought to light a disturbing picture. A particularly concerning development involves alleged instructions from influential police officers, benefiting from the ‘black money’ generated by the coal mafia, to eliminate key operatives of these mafias. This alleged move is seen as an attempt to prevent these individuals from testifying or revealing information during ED interrogations. Marandi asserted that this mirrors a disturbing pattern seen previously in the state, where ‘encounter killings’ were allegedly carried out to neutralize witnesses and suppress evidence. He referenced a former DGP who was accused of arranging contract killings and of being profoundly corrupt, a sentiment echoed even by political allies at the time. He advised the ED to remain vigilant, noting that in this environment, truth-tellers are marginalized, while those who bury the truth wield significant influence. The alignment of political power, systemic structures, and criminal enterprises, he warned, renders the suppression of justice almost inevitable.