The Jharkhand state government faces grave accusations of fabricating new criminal cases to obscure the extent of existing illegal activities. Babu Lal Marandi, who leads the opposition as BJP State President, asserted that the current administration and its support systems are resorting to manufacturing crimes as a tactic. Investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the extensive coal syndicate in Dhanbad have unearthed significant evidence. A particularly concerning development is the alleged directive from corrupt senior police officers, allegedly profiting from the coal trade, to eliminate their ground-level associates. These actions are purportedly aimed at preventing individuals under ED scrutiny from revealing crucial information. This strategy of ‘evidence elimination’ through staged encounters, masquerading as crime suppression, has a known precedent in Jharkhand. The state has previously witnessed leadership accused of facilitating contract killings and establishing new benchmarks for corruption, with even ruling party members voicing such concerns. The ED must proceed with utmost vigilance, as the prevailing atmosphere favors those who suppress truth over those who speak it. When governmental power, institutional structures, and organized crime converge, the subversion of justice is tragically swift.
