VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Oct 27: The RIMS administration is said to be dragging its feet behind in providing complete CCTV footage of ward and paying ward to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) where Pankaj Mishra has been kept for treatment under judicial custody.
The ED suspects that a couple of high-profile persons must have met Pankaj Mishra at the RIMS. It is suspected that someone regularly visited him at the RIMS ward and Pankaj Mishra regularly made phone and video calls to high-profile persons of the state. The ED has stated that it requires complete footage to ascertain who else met Pankaj Mishra at RIMS without permission.
Well-placed sources said that the ED has further told the RIMS administration that it requires CCTV footage of the entire duration from July 29 onward when Pankaj Mishra was shifted to the trauma centre of RIMS and then to the paying ward following pancreatic problems.
The ED has stated that it needs CCTV footage of the corresponding period for the purpose of investigation. The ED suspects that Pankaj Mishra tried to influence the illegal mining probe against him and others.
On the other hand, RIMS citing technical reasons has provided footage of only one month.
Pankaj Mishra is the MLA representative of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The ED arrested him on July 19 in the illegal stone mining case worth over Rs. 1000 Crore. He was taken into police custody for questioning. On July 29, he complained of health problems and hence shifted to RIMS. After a few days of treatment at the trauma centre, he was shifted to the paying ward no. A-18. From there he ran his empire.
The question of footage arose after the ED detained two close aides of Pankaj Mishra namely his driver Chandan Yadav and Suraj Pandit for allegedly providing mobile phones to Pankaj Mishra to call different people.
When contacted, RIMS superintendent Hirendra Birua said that all possible efforts are being made in this regard.
“Whatever footage we have, the Enforcement Directorate has demanded it and the technical team is looking into the matter,” said Hirendra Birua.
But he ducked giving any specific reply whether the ED has demanded CCTV footage of three months and whether the same has been provided.
