Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Babulal Marandi has leveled serious accusations against the Jharkhand government, claiming it fabricates new crimes to cover up actual offenses. Marandi asserted that both the government and its systemic apparatus have normalized the practice of manufacturing new criminal incidents to obscure existing illegalities. Recent investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the illicit coal trade in Dhanbad have brought to light shocking details. Most concerning is the intelligence suggesting that influential police officers, enriched by the black money from coal mafias, have issued ‘orders’ to eliminate certain key enforcers of these criminal networks permanently. Information indicates that individuals cooperating with the ED are allegedly being targeted for murder to prevent the revelation of crucial truths. The practice of staged ‘evidence encounters,’ aimed at disposing of witnesses rather than criminals, has a history in this state. Jharkhand has previously had a police chief facing accusations of involvement in contract killings and unparalleled corruption, a fact even acknowledged by members of the ruling coalition. The ED must remain highly vigilant, as the prevailing environment favors those who bury facts. When the nexus of power, governance, and organized crime becomes inseparable, the subversion of justice is virtually guaranteed.
