Babu Lal Marandi, the Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand, has accused the state government of a deliberate strategy to manufacture new crimes as a means to conceal existing illegal activities and protect powerful individuals. Marandi contends that this practice has become a systemic issue within Jharkhand. Recent ED investigations into the ‘black empire’ of coal in Dhanbad have reportedly yielded significant, worrying findings. The most alarming development, Marandi claims, involves ‘top police officers’ who are allegedly profiting from the illicit coal trade and have tasked coal mafia enforcers with the ‘permanent elimination’ of their lower-level associates. This is purportedly aimed at preventing these individuals from providing crucial information to the ED. There are strong indications that individuals currently under ED scrutiny are being targeted for assassination to obstruct the investigation and keep the truth hidden. Marandi reminded the public of past incidents where ‘evidence elimination’ occurred under the guise of police encounters. He also brought up a former DGP accused of murder-for-hire and extreme corruption. Marandi advised the ED to be highly cautious, stating that in Jharkhand, those who suppress the truth hold power, not those who reveal it. He concluded that when political authority, administrative structures, and criminal networks operate in unison, the negation of justice is merely a procedural step.
