A serious allegation has been leveled against the Jharkhand state government, accusing it of creating new criminal incidents to conceal existing ones. Babu Lal Marandi, the state president of the BJP and leader of the opposition, stated that the government and its systems have developed a pattern of manufacturing fresh crimes to cover up ongoing illegal activities. Recent actions by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the coal sector of Dhanbad have brought to light alarming evidence of a vast, illicit coal empire. More disturbingly, it is reported that certain high-ranking police officials, benefiting financially from this coal trade, have allegedly instructed their operatives to eliminate key individuals involved in the network permanently. This alleged directive appears aimed at silencing those being interrogated by the ED, thereby preventing the truth from emerging. The practice of staging ‘encounter killings’ under the guise of apprehending criminals to destroy evidence is not new to the state. Jharkhand has previously witnessed a Director General of Police (DGP) accused of orchestrating contract killings and amassing unprecedented levels of corruption, with even members of the ruling party highlighting these transgressions. The ED is urged to exercise extreme caution, as the state operates on principles where suppressing truth prevails over revealing it. When power, the system, and criminal elements align, the perversion of justice becomes an almost inevitable outcome.
