The Jharkhand government faces accusations of manufacturing new criminal narratives to mask ongoing illegal operations. Babu Lal Marandi, the state BJP chief and Leader of the Opposition, contends that the government and associated systems are now habitually inventing crimes to hide the reality on the ground. Investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the extensive coal mafia operations in Dhanbad have unearthed significant incriminating evidence. A particularly alarming development involves claims that senior police officers, reportedly profiting from illicit coal trade, have issued directives to eliminate key figures within the mafia. This alleged ‘hit list’ targets individuals cooperating with the ED, presumably to prevent them from testifying and exposing the truth. Marandi drew parallels to past instances in Jharkhand where ‘evidence encounters’ were allegedly staged to dispose of witnesses rather than apprehend culprits. He recalled a former DGP who faced severe accusations of taking bribes for staged encounters and for unprecedented corruption, transgressions acknowledged even by ruling party politicians. The opposition leader advised the ED to remain highly vigilant, emphasizing that in Jharkhand, silencing truth-tellers is often prioritized over supporting them. The convergence of political power, administrative machinery, and criminal enterprises can lead to the complete subversion of justice, rendering the pursuit of fairness a mere formality.
