SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Feb 16: The Dhanbad District Board will file a contempt of court petition against Congress leaders for breaking the locks of the sealed Congress office based on the Board’s land inside Luby Circular road.
District Board chairman Robin Chandra Gorai said that on the directive of the Jharkhand High Court (HC), the Congress office had been sealed in 2011. The matter is still pending in court. But reportedly, some Congress leaders violated the directive of the HC by breaking the seal of the office on February 14. So, the District Board is going to file a contempt of court petition against them.
“On the directive of the HC, total 96 properties were sealed in 2011 among them some were opened on the directive of court while the issue of some buildings is still pending in the High Court,” said Robin Gorai.
Robin Gorai denied that any party had a role in sealing the Congress office. He himself is a BJP leader.
The land of the Congress office was given to the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) in 1956 by the Bihar government. In 1960, the Congress party built its office building. In 1981-82, the then-District Board Chairman Satyadev Singh claimed the land as the property of the District Board and the dispute kick-started from there.
However, after 48 hours of the incident (February 14), Congress district president Brajendra Prasad Singh today denied the allegation that party leaders broke the locks.
“The Bihar government had given 1 acre, 10 kattha land to Congress through a notification in 1960. At the time of sealing the building, the district administration officers did not read the notification,” he said.
“HC locks are still intact and no Congress leaders have touched that,” added Brajendra. He alleged that the District Board had sealed the Congress office on the direction of BJP.
Notably, Health Minister cum Dhanbad Congress in-charge Banna Gupta, who was coincidentally also present in Dhanbad when the Congress leaders allegedly broke the locks, admitted having the information of the incident but said that he would comment after reading the court order.
Meanwhile, a team of the district administration on Tuesday (February 15) inspected the building and denied that the locks were broken. Officials said that the HC locks were found intact.
On the other hand, Dhanbad MP PN Singh also stepped into the debate, claiming that if BJP leaders had violated the HC seal, they would have been imprisoned by now. But, like Congress leaders, the government and district administration have closed their eyes.
