Former Minister and Kolebira sitting MlA Anosh Ekka was arrested on Wednesday night in a case related to the murder of a para-teacher, Manoj Kumar, followed by the recovery of his body from the adjoining Kolebira forests of Simdega.
Kumar was kidnapped on Wednesday morning from his school in Kolebira. Ekka has been made a named accused in the FIR lodged by the family members of Kumar.
“Ekka has been arrested on the ground of being a named accused in the case as well as the statements recorded by the family members of the deceased,” said Simdega SP Rajiv Ranjan Singh. According to the SP, the case is being further investigated to establish Ekka’s link with the killing.
Ekka is contesting for the Kolebira seat as Jharkhand Party candidate where voting is slated to take place on December 2 in the second phase of polling in the State. He got elected on the seat in 2009 Assembly elections.
Kumar, who was earlier associated with the Jharkhand Party headed by Ekka, had recently joined Shibu Soren’s JMM after putting in his papers. According to the statement recorded by the family members, Kumar had also written to the administration as well as Chief Minister Hemant Soren to provide police protection apprehending a threat to his life from Ekka after he left the Jharkhand Party.
“Kumar’s family has alleged that Ekka’s attitude towards Kumar got more hostile after he lodged a complaint against him requesting to take action against him,” the SP added.
Kumar was kidnapped from his school, Rajkiya Utkramit Madhya Vidyalaya, at Jatratand by some armed miscreants, supposed to be PlFI cadres, on Wednesday, with an intention to kill him.
DGP Rajiv Kumar also confirmed the arrest saying Ekka, being a named accused in the case has been arrested by Simdega police.
Agitated family members and the local people staging a protest against the killing blocked the Kolebira-Simdega Road for several hours on Thursday. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha supporters, on the other hand, also protested against Ekka, tearing away posters put in the area seeking votes in his favour. JMM workers also rammed Ekka’s party office in Simdega destroying everything whatever came in their way.
Ekka, who allegedly enjoys the support of banned ultras outfit PlFI in the area, had also been charged with disrupting the poll campaign conducted by various candidates in Khunti during the recent lok Sabha elections.
Earlier Ekka had also been arrested in a disproportionate of assets case involving several thousand of crores, currently being investigated by Enforcement Directorate which has seized over one crore of property, allegedly owned by him and his wife. Khunti police has also charged him with conniving with the PlFI for disrupting the poll process.