Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president and Leader of the Opposition, Babulal Marandi, has accused the Jharkhand government of fabricating new crimes to cover up existing illicit activities. Marandi expressed concern that it has become a common practice for the government and the enforcement system to manufacture new offenses to hide the real extent of crime in the state. Recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids in Dhanbad’s notorious coal trade sector have exposed significant incriminating evidence. Disturbingly, Marandi claims that top police officials, benefiting from the black money generated from coal smuggling, have issued ‘targets’ to eliminate foot soldiers of coal mafias permanently. This alleged directive aims to silence individuals who could expose the truth, especially those cooperating with the ED. Marandi highlighted that the state has a history of ‘evidence encounters,’ where criminals were eliminated to prevent the disclosure of facts. He referenced a past Director General of Police who faced allegations of orchestrating contract killings and being the most corrupt DGP in Jharkhand’s history, with accusations even coming from within the ruling party. The opposition leader advised the ED to be extremely vigilant, noting that in Jharkhand’s power structure, suppressing truth is rewarded over revealing it. He concluded that when the ruling establishment, the system, and criminal syndicates operate in unison, the subversion of justice is inevitable.
