News Analysis India

Tag: Jharkhand Police

  • ED continues to quiz Soren in money laundering case, Section 144 clamped near CM’s residence

    Enforcement Directorate sleuths continued to question Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren at his official residence here on Saturday in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. The entire area has turned into a virtual fortress with heavy deployment of security forces, an official said.

    Soren, 48, who is also the executive president of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), had earlier skipped seven summonses by the ED. He finally gave his consent after the probe agency summoned him for the eighth time.

    The ED personnel reached Soren’s residence around 1 pm, the official said, adding, the questioning has been underway for more than six hours now. Security personnel, deployed in large numbers at the spot, are using high-resolution body cameras to keep track of activities around the house, he said.

    The measure comes in the wake of the recent attack on ED officials in West Bengal during a raid pertaining to an alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam.

    The Ranchi district administration has also imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC near Soren’s house, disallowing any demonstration, carrying weapons and public meetings. “The restrictions will be in place till 11 pm on Saturday,” Ranchi SDO Utkarsh Kumar told PTI. Security has also been bolstered outside the residences of key BJP leaders in the state and the party headquarters as a precautionary measure.

    Meanwhile, the JMM convened a meeting of its legislators at the chief minister’s residence.

    “The ED is questioning the CM… We are also holding our meeting… Any strategy about the future course of action will be made based on the outcome of the questioning,” JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya told PTI.

    Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari, who met Soren before being quizzed by the ED officials, said the chief minister asked party workers to be patient.

    “The CM, after seeing me, turned emotional and asked us to have patience,” Ansari said.

    Opposing the ED action, JMM workers and tribal outfits staged protests across the state. Asked about the demonstrations, Bhattacharya said those were spontaneous, and his party had not taken any call on that.

    JMM workers armed with bows and arrows were also spotted at some distance from Soren’s house.

    Congress’ Jharkhand president Rajesh Thakur said that party MLAs were present to express solidarity with the CM.

    Those present inside Soren’s residence include Social Welfare Minister Joba Manjhi, Congress legislator Deepika Pandey Singh and Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji, besides several JMM legislators.

    Jharkhand Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan, DGP Ajay Kumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Ranchi, Rahul Kumar Sinha and SSP Chandan Kumar Sinha are also at the spot, officials said.

    The investigation pertains to a “huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia” in Jharkhand, according to the central probe agency.

    It has so far arrested 14 people in the case, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, who served as the director of the state’s Social Welfare Department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.

    JMM MLA Ramdas Soren claimed that this was an attempt to destabilise the Jharkhand government.

    The BJP, however, alleged that the chief minister was playing the “victim card” by sponsoring protests across the state.

    “The CM should not have been given the privilege of interrogation at his official residence. Soren is scared of being arrested and that is why he did not visit the ED office for questioning,” senior BJP leader Amar Bauri told PTI.

    Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi said the ED agreed to Soren’s request for questioning at the chief minister’s house out of respect for him.

    “Now, we hope that the CM will also show generosity and issue an order to the Jharkhand Police today itself that instead of calling any accused to the police station and interrogating him, officers should go to the house of the accused and question,” Marandi wrote on X.

    He also claimed that tribals in the state are not with Soren anymore, and they want his exit.

    Soren had filed a petition before the Supreme Court and the Jharkhand High Court, seeking protection from the ED action, terming the summonses “unwarranted”. Both the courts subsequently dismissed his petitions.

    Jharkhand Governor C P Radhakrishnan had earlier this week said that the ED was doing its duty and Soren should provide the “right answers” to the probe agency.

    In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the ruling coalition holds 47 seats, including 29 MLAs from the JMM, 17 from the Congress, and one each from the RJD and the Communist Party of India (Marxists-Leninist).

  • Jharkhand Police summon BJP’s Chhattisgarh bypoll candidate, three others in rape case 

    By PTI

    KANKER: The Jharkhand Police have summoned Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for the December 5 Bhanupratappur bypoll in Chhattisgarh and three others who have been named as accused in a rape case in the neighbouring state.

    According to the police notices dated November 28, all four persons, natives of Kanker district in Chhattisgarh, have been asked to appear at Kanker police station at 10 am on Tuesday and cooperate in the investigation into the case.

    On November 20, the ruling Congress had claimed former BJP MLA Brahmanand Netam, the saffron party’s nominee for the Bhanupratappur bypoll, was accused in a rape case lodged at Telco police station in Jamshedpur on May 15, 2019, and that he allegedly concealed the offence registered against him in his election affidavit.

    A police team from Telco police station in Jharkhand reached Kanker on Monday and contacted local police to trace the whereabouts of Netam and three other accused Keshav Sinha, Naresh Soni and Deepankar Sinha, a senior Chhattisgarh Police official said.

    The case was lodged under sections 366 A (procuration of minor girl), 376 (rape), 376 AB (rape on a woman under twelve years of age) and other relevant section of the Indian Penal Code, provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, he said.

    The Jharkhand Police team carried out searches at various places in the district on Monday, the official said.

    On Tuesday morning, the Jharkhand cops accompanied by local police were seen outside the houses of all the four accused and serving the notices.

    The Jharkhand Police team’s arrival has triggered a political storm with the opposition BJP in Chhattisgarh on Monday accusing Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel of hatching a conspiracy by colluding with the Hemant Soren-led government in Jharkhand to malign Netam’s image, fearing defeat in the byelection.

    BJP leaders also questioned why the Jharkhand Police did not act for so long when the case was lodged in 2019.

    The bypoll to the Bhanupratappur seat in Kanker district, reserved for the Scheduled Tribes candidates, was necessitated due to the death of Congress MLA and Chhattisgarh Assembly’s Deputy Speaker Manoj Singh Mandavi last month.

    KANKER: The Jharkhand Police have summoned Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for the December 5 Bhanupratappur bypoll in Chhattisgarh and three others who have been named as accused in a rape case in the neighbouring state.

    According to the police notices dated November 28, all four persons, natives of Kanker district in Chhattisgarh, have been asked to appear at Kanker police station at 10 am on Tuesday and cooperate in the investigation into the case.

    On November 20, the ruling Congress had claimed former BJP MLA Brahmanand Netam, the saffron party’s nominee for the Bhanupratappur bypoll, was accused in a rape case lodged at Telco police station in Jamshedpur on May 15, 2019, and that he allegedly concealed the offence registered against him in his election affidavit.

    A police team from Telco police station in Jharkhand reached Kanker on Monday and contacted local police to trace the whereabouts of Netam and three other accused Keshav Sinha, Naresh Soni and Deepankar Sinha, a senior Chhattisgarh Police official said.

    The case was lodged under sections 366 A (procuration of minor girl), 376 (rape), 376 AB (rape on a woman under twelve years of age) and other relevant section of the Indian Penal Code, provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, he said.

    The Jharkhand Police team carried out searches at various places in the district on Monday, the official said.

    On Tuesday morning, the Jharkhand cops accompanied by local police were seen outside the houses of all the four accused and serving the notices.

    The Jharkhand Police team’s arrival has triggered a political storm with the opposition BJP in Chhattisgarh on Monday accusing Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel of hatching a conspiracy by colluding with the Hemant Soren-led government in Jharkhand to malign Netam’s image, fearing defeat in the byelection.

    BJP leaders also questioned why the Jharkhand Police did not act for so long when the case was lodged in 2019.

    The bypoll to the Bhanupratappur seat in Kanker district, reserved for the Scheduled Tribes candidates, was necessitated due to the death of Congress MLA and Chhattisgarh Assembly’s Deputy Speaker Manoj Singh Mandavi last month.

  • Ranchi violence: Jharkhand government seeks explanation from cop over poster fiasco

    By PTI

    RANCHI: A day after Jharkhand police put up posters carrying photographs of those allegedly involved in the recent violent protests in Ranchi, the state’s Home Secretary Rajiv Arun Ekka on Wednesday evening sought an explanation from the SSP over the “unlawful” act.

    Hours after putting up the posters on Tuesday, police had taken them down from various parts of the state capital, citing “technical flaws”.

    The law enforcers had also said the errors would be rectified and the posters released again.

    “This is not lawful and is against the order dated March 9, 2020 passed by Hon’ble High Court, Allahabad,” the letter by Ekka, the Principal Secretary, Home, Jail and Disaster Management Department, said.

    “The Hon’ble Court had directed the State of Uttar Pradesh not to put up posters containing personal information of persons without legal authority on the roadside. This matter is nothing but an undue interference in the privacy of the people. Therefore, it is a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” it added.

    Two persons were killed and more than two dozen people critically injured, as protests rocked Ranchi over controversial remarks by now-suspended BJP leaders against Prophet Mohammad.

    The police had released the posters of around 30 people allegedly involved in the violent protests, seeking information about them.

    The move came a day after Governor Ramesh Bais summoned DGP Neeraj Sinha and other senior officials at Raj Bhavan, and raised questions as to why preventive measures or action to disperse the crowd were not taken during the agitation.

    Police said that 29 people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident.

    Tension still prevailed in the state capital with prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in force in parts of the city.

    Security deployment has also been augmented in Ranchi.

    Meanwhile, BJP national vice-president and former chief minister Raghubar Das on Wednesday visited the violence-hit areas and demanded an NIA probe into the agitation.

    Twenty-nine people have been arrested so far in connection with the violence that erupted in Jharkhand capital Ranchi after Friday prayers on June 10, while investigations are underway to identify miscreants and prevent any further communal tension, the police said on Wednesday.

    Two persons were killed and more than two dozen people critically injured, as protests and clashes over controversial remarks by now-suspended BJP leaders rocked the city on June 10.

    Tension continues to prevail in the capital with prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC still in force in parts of the city, and security deployment augmented to avoid any recurrence of Friday’s mayhem.

    “Altogether 29 people have been arrested so far in connection with the violence. Twelve of them have been sent to judicial custody. Seven are under treatment at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Ranchi, while 10 have been booked under section 151 CrPC (arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences),” Jharkhand Police spokesperson and IG (operations) Amol V Homkar told PTI.

    Around 3,500 police personnel are keeping guard in Ranchi, with RAF deployment extended for the week in the particularly sensitive areas, he maintained.

    Homkar also said that those arrested include one Nawab Chishti, who is alleged to be one of those who provoked protestors through social media posts.

    He stated that the police are keeping a close vigil on the situation.

    “The situation is under control, we are investigating the matter. The police are taking all possible measures to prevent any further flare up,” City Superintendent of Police Anshuman Kumar told PTI.

    More than 22 people have been booked by name, along with thousands of unidentified individuals in 25 FIRs after Friday’s violence.

    Deepak Kumar Dubey, the sub-divisional magistrate of Ranchi, told PTI that restrictions on public movement continue to be in place in Kotwali, Lower Bazar, Chutia, Daily Market, Doranda and Hindipiri station areas.

    According to a RIMS official, seven injured people are still undergoing treatment at the medical facility including one Nadeem Ansari, 24, who is battling for life.

    Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais on Monday had summoned DGP Neeraj Sinha and other senior officials at Raj Bhavan, seeking to know why preventive measures or action to disperse the crowd were not taken during the agitation.

    Bais also questioned why police personnel were not wearing protective gear during the agitation.

    He asked the police to release posters of those involved in the protests so that they can be identified.

    The director general of police, on his part, told Bais that only 150 people was expected during the protest, as per an Intelligence Bureau (IB) report, but thousands joined in.

  • Wanted drug peddler, disguised as ‘sadhu’, arrested after four years of hunt: Jharkhand Police

    Suryanath Vaid alias Nanku was arrested from the Housing Colony in Medininagar, following a raid at his residence on Sunday night.

  • Jharkhand: Five injured in police station blast during cleaning of garbage

    By PTI

    MEDININAGAR: Five policemen were injured in an explosion that took place on the premises of a police station in Jharkhand’s Palamu district during the cleaning of garbage on Sunday, an official said.

    The incident occurred when a bottle filled with petrol was unwittingly thrown into a heap of garbage which was set afire in the compound of Chaonpur police station, Superintendent of Police Chandan Kumar Sinha told PTI.

    The SP said that the injured policemen are being treated at Medinirai Medical College and Hospital.

    The condition of one of them was stated to be critical.

  • Woman dies during police search in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh, villagers allege high handedness

    By PTI

    RAMGARH: A septuagenarian died during  a police search at a village in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district, which was the site of a clash over buring of the effigy of Ravana on Dussera, trigering allegations of police high handedness by the residents.

    The police has been conducting the search operation since October 16 to apprehend culprits after two police officers were injured in the clash at Barkipona village under Rajrappa police station where the effigy of the mythical ten-headed king of Lanka was burnt in defiance of the protocol of the state government to stop the spread of COVID-19.

    Malo Devi, the 75-year-old woman died allegedly after the cops broke open the door of her hut injuring her grievously on Wednesday night.

    The elderly woman was hurt as she was standing near the door, her grand daughter Prabha Kumari said.

    She succumbed to her injuries later in the night, her family said.

    Ramgarh deputy commissioner Madhvi Mishra told PTI that the woman died during the police search but the cause of her death can be ascertained only after postmortem.

    A probe will be ordered if any physical injury is found in the autopsy report and the guilty will be punished, the deputy commissioner said.

    Additional police force has been deployed in Barkipona where the situation is tense since the death.

    But there has been no report of any violent incident and the situation is under control, Mishra said.

    The DC said she had talked to Ramgarh superintendent of police Prabhat Kumar about the incident but he said nothing had happened.

    Ramgarh Congress MLA Mamata Devi met the DIG of north Chhotanagpur division Narendra Kumar Singh along with a few residents of Barkipona on Wednesday and lodged a complaint about alleged police atrocity in the village.

    Chandra Prakash Chaudhary, AJSU-P MP from Giridih parliamentary constituency who visited Malo Devi’s house on Thursday, talking to reporters alleged that the police has been treating villagers like militants and breaking open doors to their houses in the name of the search operation.

    Former BJP MP Yadunath Pandey too met the woman’s family and said the burning of the effigy of Ravana is an emotional religious issue.

    As many as 26 villagers have been arrested so far in connection with the violence over the burning of the effigy.

  • 26 arrested for attacking police, violating COVID protocol in Jharkhand during Dussehra program

    By PTI

    RAMGARH: A total 26 of the 71 people named in an FIR have been arrested in connection with the attack on police personnel over ‘Ravana Dahan’ (burning the effigy of Ravana) in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district, a senior police officer said on Monday.

    The incident had taken place at Barkipona village under Rajrappa police station of the district on October 16.

    A case under various sections of the IPC, including section 307 (murder attempt) had been registered against 71 people by name and 200 others in connection with the violent attacks on police personnel when the force tried to stop the burning an effigy of the mythical ten-headed king Ravana due to the COVID-19 protocol issued by the state government, Ramgarh superintendent of police Prabhat Kumar said.

    Deputy superintendent of police (Headquarters), Sanjiv Kumar Mishra and the officer-in-charge of Rajrappa police station, Vipin Kumar, were injured in the attack and admitted to the sadar hospital, Kumar told reporters here.

    The villagers defying the COVID standard operating procedure had tried to burn an effigy of King Ravana a day after Dusshera in the presence of a large crowd.

    When the police tried to stop them, they pelted stones at its personnel.

    The Jharkhand government had restricted the burning of Ravana effigies as a preventive measure to check the spread of the COVID-19, the police said.

  • Maoist gunned down in Jharkhand encounter, Jaguar official injured

    By Express News Service

    RANCHI: A cadre of Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP), a splinter Maoist group, has been gunned down by the security forces during an encounter in Salayya Jungles of Latehar. 

    According to Police, several Maoists were also likely to have received bullet injuries during the encounter. 

    An Assistant Commandant, posted with Jharkhand Jaguar, got injured in an encounter. Rajesh Kumar was immediately airlifted to Ranchi and hospitalised. He is said to be out of danger now. 

    “Officials from the encounter site said they have recovered a dead body along with a huge cache of arms and ammunition including an AK-47 rifle,” said IG (Operations) and Jharkhand Police spokesperson AV Homkar.

    Further details are awaited while the identity of the body is being verified, he added.

    Meanwhile, a search operation is still on to track the Maoists who escaped from the spot taking advantage of the dense forests after they failed to withstand the firing from the security forces. 

  • Video of cops thrashing Army jawan for not wearing mask in Jharkhand goes viral, three suspended

    By Express News Service

    RANCHI: An Army jawan was ruthlessly beaten up by police at Karma Bazar under Mayuhand Police Station in Chatra for not wearing a mask on Wednesday. After video footage of the cops brutally kicking, slapping, punching and hitting the jawan with batons went viral on social media, the Chatra SP immediately took cognisance of the matter and action was taken against the erring policemen. The Army jawan has been identified as Pawan Kumar Yadav.

    “I have suspended one hawildar and two constables while the other two assistant policemen have been line closed,” said the SP. The incident took place when a mask checking drive was being conducted under the Block Development Officer, he added.

    An Indian Army jawan was ruthlessly beaten up by police personnel in Jharkhand’s Chatra for not wearing a mask. Three police personnel, along with two other officials were suspended after video of the incident went viral on social media.@NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard pic.twitter.com/JNuzAyiOBa— Mukesh Ranjan (@Mukesh_TNIE) September 2, 2021 “Prima facie, it has come to our notice that the jawan was triple riding on his bike and not wearing a mask. When he was intercepted by the police team, he allegedly misbehaved with them following which they beat him,” said the SP. It is not acceptable at any cost, hence action has been taken against them, he added.

    After the intervention of angry villagers, Yadav was later taken to the Mayurhand police station.

  • Girl allegedly gang-raped by seven minors in Jharkhand; four held, three accused absconding

    By PTI

    RANCHI: A girl has been allegedly gangraped by seven boys in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district, police said on Sunday.

    Four accused have been arrested and a manhunt has been launched to nab the others, an officer said.

    The incident took place on August 26 when one of the accused, who was an acquaintance of the survivor, took her out for a ride on his motorcycle and went to an isolated place in Mandar police station area where six of his friends were waiting, officer-in-charge Rana Singh said.

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    On seeing the other boys, the girl attempted to flee but was overpowered and gangraped, the officer said.

    The girl’s acquaintance then dropped her back home, following which she informed her family members about the incident, who then lodged a police complaint the next day, he said.

    All the accused persons are from Mandar area and four of them have been arrested on Saturday and forwarded to a juvenile home after being booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code and POCSO Act, the officer said.