Family of Santosh Pandey, who was allegedly lynched by some of the people at the behest of Dumri MlA and JMM’s nominee for Giridih parliamentary constituency Jagarnath Mahto in a Kangaroo court on March 20, turned hostile on Thursday, saying Mahto’s name was mentioned by the family as it was disturbed after the incident.
The aspiring MP was named by the family members of the victim along with other persons for the killing.According to the police, out of 49 eyewitnesses examined by the special investigation team (SIT) none of them admitted the involvement of Mahto in the case. Moreover, Pandey who died in the hospital never mentioned the name of the MlA while he was admitted in the hospital.
“Victim’s brother Anantlal Pandey has admitted before the police that he gave Mahto’s name to the police as they were quite disturbed after his brother’s death,” said the police.
Meanwhile, video footages and photographs of beating a person brutally by sticks by some of the persons carried by a section of newspapers and channels claiming to be of Santosh Pandey, prompted the JMM leaders, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren to come to the rescue of the cornered MlA. Soren maintained that the whole episode was sponsored by the opponents who admitted their defeat from Giridih lok Sabha seat much before it actually took place.
“I reject the allegations leveled against Mahto as the timing of the whole episode itself is under question mark,” said Soren. Mahto seemed to enjoy full support of Jharkhand Mukti Morch on the issue after the video footage was reported to be fake uploaded by one Sandeep Kumar of Punjab.
“As proved by some of the news channels, it has now become clear that the whole episode of the lynching of Santosh Pandey on the directions of Dumri MlA to disturb him during the lok Sabha elections,” said JMM general secretary Vinod Pandey.
A complaint has also been lodged with the Elections Commission against the negative publicity being propagated against its candidate requesting to put check on it. “We have approached the Election Commission to look into the matter and take adequate steps,” added Pandey.
Pandey however, condemning the brutal killing of the Giridih boy, said that the investigation is being done in the case by a Special Investigating Team (SIT) formed by the administration and the persons found guilty must be punished.
Mahto, on the other hand, also said that he has left the issue to the administration which is investigating the case. The issue is deliberately being highlighted by my opponents in connivance with some of the media houses to malign my image,” Mahto added. The Election Commission on Tuesday, taking a strong note of the complaint against the JMM candidate had directed the state police chief to initiate legal process against him.
Brother turns hostile as Hemant comes to JMM MlA’s rescue According to an FIR lodged with the Nawadih police station, nine persons have been made accused of convening ‘Kangaroo Court’ where 22-year old Santosh Pandey was brutally beaten on March 20 at Narah village in Bokaro district over an alleged love affair. later Pandey succumbed to his injuries in a hospital at Chandrapura.
Seven persons, including the MlA’s brother Baijnath Mahto, arrested in connection with the case, have been sent in judicial custody. Mahto and Kewal Puri, another accused person is yet to be arrested by the police.