Babulal Marandi, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s state chief and Leader of Opposition, has publicly accused the Jharkhand government of fabricating new crimes to deliberately hide existing ones. He asserts that the government and the broader system have resorted to creating artificial offenses as a tactic to obscure the reality of crime in the state. The Enforcement Directorate’s recent investigation into the widespread coal syndicate in Dhanbad has brought to light significant and disturbing evidence. The most alarming aspect, according to Marandi, is the alleged instruction from ‘high-ranking police officials,’ who allegedly profit immensely from illegal coal operations, to ‘permanently dispose of’ crucial ground operatives of the coal mafia.
There are credible reports suggesting that individuals cooperating with the ED are now facing murder conspiracies to prevent them from divulging sensitive information. The practice of eliminating witnesses through staged encounters, framed as arrests of criminals, has occurred before in Jharkhand. The state has previously seen a DGP accused of accepting bribes for staged encounters and of unparalleled corruption, with even coalition partners voicing severe criticism.
Marandi strongly advises the ED to proceed with utmost caution. He points out that the prevailing system favors those who suppress facts, not those who bring them to light. When political power, the establishment, and organized crime become interconnected, the subversion of justice is merely a matter of time.