Jharkhand’s opposition leader, Babulal Marandi, has leveled serious accusations against the state government, alleging a deliberate strategy to create new crimes to conceal existing ones. Marandi stated that the government and its systems have developed a disturbing habit of manufacturing offenses to obscure the reality of crime in Jharkhand. Recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) actions in the coal mafia’s stronghold in Dhanbad have unearthed startling evidence. The most alarming revelation is the alleged directive from some high-ranking police officials, enriched by illicit coal earnings, to eliminate key ground operatives of coal mafias permanently. These ‘targets’ are reportedly being set to prevent the truth from surfacing. Marandi asserts that conspiracies are being hatched to murder individuals currently being questioned by the ED, precisely to keep incriminating information suppressed. He warned that Jharkhand has witnessed similar tactics before, where encounters were staged to eliminate evidence under the guise of apprehending criminals. The state previously had a Director General of Police accused of orchestrating contract killings and setting new benchmarks for corruption, with even ruling party members leveling these allegations. Marandi urged the ED to exercise extreme caution, emphasizing that in Jharkhand, those who suppress truth, not those who speak it, hold power. When power, the system, and criminal elements align, the perversion of justice becomes a mere formality.
