Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi/Delhi: The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has initiated action in the case of Surya Hansda, a former BJP candidate who was killed in a police encounter in Godda. On Monday, the NCST issued notices to the Jharkhand Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police (DGP), as well as the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Superintendent of Police (SP) of Godda district.
Commission Seeks Accountability
The notice directed the officials to appear before the commission within three days and provide details on the actions taken following complaints about the encounter. The NCST also warned that if the officials fail to appear, summons may be issued against them. The move came after a formal complaint was filed by Rajya Sabha MP and former Jharkhand BJP president Deepak Prakash.
Background of the Encounter
On August 11, Surya Hansda was killed during a police encounter at Lalmatia Dhamni Hills in Boarijor, Godda. He had been arrested just a day earlier, on August 10, from Nawadih village in Deoghar district. According to his mother, Neelmuni Murmu, plainclothes policemen had picked him up from his aunt’s house before the fatal incident.
Political Career and Allegations
Hansda had contested the Borio Assembly seat four times but never secured a win. He ran as a Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) candidate in 2009 and 2014, as a BJP candidate in 2019 where he finished second, and most recently from JLKM in 2024 after resigning from BJP. Despite his political career, multiple FIRs were lodged against him in Sahibganj’s Mirza Chowki and Godda’s Lalmatia police stations for alleged involvement in serious crimes.
