Concerns are mounting over the Jharkhand government’s alleged strategy of fabricating new criminal cases to conceal deeper issues, particularly concerning the coal mafia. Babu Lal Marandi, the state BJP chief and Leader of the Opposition, has publicly stated that the government and its affiliated systems are now ‘manufacturing crimes’ as a cover-up. Recent ED raids and investigations within Dhanbad’s powerful coal network have exposed alarming truths. Most disturbingly, credible reports suggest that certain influential police officers, reportedly enriched by the black coal economy, have issued ‘elimination targets’ for their lower-level accomplices. This alleged plot is designed to silence individuals being questioned by the ED, thereby preventing the exposure of a larger conspiracy. The tactic of ‘encountering evidence’ under the guise of combating crime is a tactic with a history in this state. Jharkhand has endured leadership previously accused of orchestrating paid encounters and displaying unprecedented levels of corruption, drawing criticism even from ruling party figures. The ED is advised to maintain a high degree of alertness, as the state’s environment often rewards those who conceal facts rather than reveal them. When the nexus between political power, administrative machinery, and criminal enterprises solidifies, the suppression of justice becomes an almost inevitable outcome.
