RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Aug.25: Police procured arrest warrant from a city court against Sunil Tiwary, the political advisor of BJP legislature party chief and former chief minister Babulal Marandi against whom a case of sexual exploitation had been lodged at Argora police station by a tribal girl on August 17 this year.
An official at Argora police station said that an arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday and with this police got an arm to arrest the accused of the case amid controversy.
The development took place after National Commission For Scheduled Tribes issued a notice to the director-general of Jharkhand police asking him to report him within five days after the receipt of the notice regarding family members of a resident of Angara, Shivlal Bediya, who knocked on the door of the commission alleging police of taking his family members from the house on Independence Day and not giving any official information regarding their whereabouts.
It is said that among the family members, there is 13- yr old sister of Bediya, whom police wanted to make a witness in the case of sexual exploitation and thus has kept her with other family members in safe custody. The girl used to work at Tiwary’s residence from the age of 5 and thus police also saw her vulnerable for exploitation and planned to take a decision on her matter with due permission of the child welfare committee of the district.
A habeas corpus petition has also been filed in the matter in the Jharkhand High Court. Petitioner in the case is the brother of Shivlal Bedia, Chaita Bedia. A decision from the court is yet to come in the matter.
The FIR against Tiwary has created controversy in the state taking misuse of power and position. Marandi said the FIR was filed against Tiwary after the latter knocked on the door of the apex court demanding a direction to Mumbai High Court to hear the matter related to allegations of sexual exploitation against the Jharkhand chief minister.
Contrary to this, the police and JMM say the matter has nothing to do with that case and the matter was taken up as the girl, who used to work as a maid at Tiwary’s residence knocked on the door of the police and also gave her statement supporting her FIR in the court before a magistrate.
BJP state president Deepak Prakash has demanded a CBI probe in the matter saying apart from the CBI probe in Tiwary’s matter a CBI probe should also be done in the CM’s matter as both command high respect in the society and in the interest of justice probe is required to bring the truth before the society.
