Babulal Marandi, the state president of the BJP and Jharkhand’s Leader of the Opposition, has accused the ruling government of orchestrating new criminal incidents as a smokescreen to hide prevalent offenses. According to Marandi, the government and its associated systems have developed a pattern of fabricating crimes to divert attention from the actual state of lawlessness. Recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) actions targeting the alleged coal mafia empire in Dhanbad have unearthed significant, disturbing evidence. Marandi highlighted the most concerning aspect: that some senior police officials, allegedly enriched by illegal coal dealings, have reportedly issued directives to permanently ‘neutralize’ low-level operatives of the coal mafia. This alleged plan aims to prevent these operatives from providing testimony to the ED. Marandi reminded the public that Jharkhand has a history of staged encounters, where individuals were eliminated to destroy evidence. He specifically mentioned a past Director General of Police who faced accusations of orchestrating contract killings and unprecedented corruption, with even members of the ruling coalition making these claims. Marandi urged the ED to be exceptionally cautious, stating that in Jharkhand, the culture favors suppressing truth rather than revealing it. He concluded that when political power, law enforcement, and organized crime converge, the perversion of justice is merely a procedural step.
