M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, June 15: Kandi police station in Garhwa district on Tuesday busted a case which could have easily influenced the selection of the Pramukh, defeating the sanctity of the electoral process.
According to the SP Garhwa, Anjani Kumar Jha, the Kandi police not only aborted electoral malpractice but also seized cash and cars and arrested five people.
The highlight of the case is that the electoral offence occurred on Tuesday (June 14) and the police cracked it the same day.
The SP said five people identified as Ajay Singh, Bijay Ram, SN Pandey, SK Dubey and JP Mehta reached the house of Tara Devi, a newly elected member of the Panchayat Samiti and cajoled, coaxed, tempted and even threatened her to support in the selection of a Pramukh in Mamta Devi of Kandi.
The five offered Tara Devi a sum of Rs 99,500 as inducement money with a note of warning not to deviate but to support Mamta Devi to become Pramukh.
As Tara Devi comes from the SC community, it is alleged these five even used derogatory and insulting language toward her.
SP Jha added Tara Devi informed the Kandi police station about the matter and sought help. An FIR was lodged and police got on to the job immediately.
The Kandi police station swung into action and got hold of these five the same day. They also seized two vehicles, one a Creta car and the other a Bolero.
Alon with it, the police also seized Rs 1,05,500 in cash kept in the Creta car ostensibly to influence a few more elected members to come in support of Mamta Devi to become Pramukh.
Tara Devi returned the money to the police and it along with the money seized from the car will be produced as an exhibit in the court of law against the five who used money and muscle to woo a Dalit elected Panchayat Samiti.
The five persons were sent up to the Garhwa jail late in the evening of Tuesday. They have been booked under sections of the CrPC, IPC and SC-ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, according to the Garhwa SP.
He further said the temerity of these five was blunt and blatant as they were moving around in two vehicles with sufficient cash to dole out to win support for the Pramukh candidature of Mamta Devi.
