Ranchi, Aug 21 (IANS) Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly and BJP state president Babulal Marandi has raised serious questions over the ongoing investigation into the alleged multi-crore liquor scam, accusing the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of deliberately delaying the probe to shield influential people.
In a letter to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Marandi alleged that the ACB’s lax approach has allowed key accused to secure bail one after another. He demanded that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for an impartial probe.
Marandi claimed that from the beginning, he suspected the investigation was being carried out only to “throw dust in the eyes of the public and protect the big conspirators”.
He said that while the ACB initially acted swiftly by arresting a senior officer, it has failed to file a charge sheet even after three months, weakening the case and benefiting the accused.
He further alleged that the agency did not properly record the interrogations of arrested officers and officials, leaving scope for investigators to manipulate statements to “save or implicate whomever they wanted.”
Targeting the Chief Minister directly, Marandi asked: “Did this happen with your consent, or did the officers strike a deal on their own? No officer can execute such a massive scam and settlement without your approval. If this was done with your knowledge, then only God can save the state. But if not, immediate action should be taken against the guilty officers.”
Marandi also alleged that the scam was linked to the Chhattisgarh liquor syndicate and mafias stretching from Jharkhand to Delhi, and that “a big deal” was struck by some officers to delay filing the charge sheet so the accused could secure bail.
He urged the Chief Minister to recommend a CBI investigation, asserting that only then could the “eyewash probe” end, and the real culprits, including those who benefited from alleged deals, be exposed.
–IANS
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