The Jharkhand state government is facing severe accusations from the opposition of fabricating new crimes as a strategy to conceal underlying criminal activities and obstruct investigations. Babu Lal Marandi, state BJP chief and Leader of the Opposition, declared that the government and its apparatus have normalized the creation of spurious criminal cases to cover up reality. The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) recent actions in Dhanbad’s extensive coal mafia operations have brought forth a wealth of damning evidence. More alarmingly, credible information suggests that influential police officers, allegedly enriched by the proceeds of illegal coal trade, have allegedly ordered the elimination of their ground-level enforcers. This alleged directive is purportedly aimed at preventing those being interrogated by the ED from revealing critical truths. Marandi drew parallels to past incidents in Jharkhand where ‘evidence encounters’ were allegedly orchestrated to eliminate witnesses instead of bringing criminals to justice. He cited the case of a former DGP who was accused of orchestrating contract killings and committing extensive corruption, a situation even acknowledged by members of the ruling party. The opposition leader strongly advised the ED to maintain heightened vigilance, asserting that the system in Jharkhand often protects those who hide the truth rather than those who expose it. The confluence of political power, official machinery, and organized crime can easily lead to the complete subversion of the judicial process.
