SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, May 5: The family members of late Suryadeo Singh, who ruled roost the Jharia constituency for two decades, have engaged in a slanging match again.
Former minister Bachha Singh has triggered a ripple by alleging that his nephew and former MLA Sanjeev Singh is running a ransom racket from jail and is demanding extortion in the name of dreaded criminal Aman Singh.
Suryadeo Singh’s family has so far given five MLAs, two mayors and two deputy mayors in the district so far. Now, such an allegation within the family has created a sensation in the coal belt.
Former MLA Sanjeev Singh, son of late Suryadeo Singh, is in Dhanbad jail since April 2017 in connection with his cousin and former deputy mayor Neeraj Singh’s murder.
Bachha Singh on his Facebook wall has alleged that Sanjiv Singh has made a headquarter in the Dhanbad jail from where he is demanding extortion from doctors, traders and outsourcing company operators through his henchmen in the name of Aman Singh.
“Police know this but are creating confusion among the public by naming Aman Singh in all extortion cases in twin districts,” he alleged in his post.
However, Sidharth Gautam, the younger brother of Sanjeev Singh rebutted the allegation of his uncle Bachha Singh and said that he (Bachha Singh) is not in the court to comment. The police probe is crystal clear over who is demanding extortion. One of the nephews of Bachha Singh is also facing an extortion charge.
The family of late Suryadeo Singh has a rare distinction of giving five present and ex- MLAs. He was considered the undisputed king of the Jharia constituency in Dhanbad. From 1977 to 1991 (till his sudden death), he represented Jharia four times.
After his death, his younger brother Bachha Singh was made his heir. Baccha Singh won the Jharia seat in the 2000 Bihar assembly election. After the creation of a separate Jharkhand state, he became the urban development minister. However, in the 2005 Jharkhand assembly election, the family fielded Kunti Singh (wife of Suryadeo Singh) from Jharia where she won on the BJP ticket. Bachha Singh had to shift to the Bokaro seat where he lost. This allegedly created a rift in the family.
In the 2009 assembly election, Kunti Singh left the seat for her son Sanjiv Singh, who retained the Jharia seat in the 2014 assembly election too. Notably, his cousin Neeraj Singh contested against him as an independent candidate but lost.
However in the 2019 assembly election, since Sanjeev Singh was in jail in connection with his cousin Neeraj Singh’s murder case, his wife Ragini Singh contested the election. Congress fielded Neeraj Singh’s wife Purnima Neeraj Singh and she won.
