After much hullabaloo on the ‘mysterious delay’ in the arrest of Barkagaon MlA Nirmala Devi, the Hazaribagh police finally arrested her from Ranchi just after the afternoon session of the Assembly got over. The MlA, one of the prime accused in violent agitation case at NTPC site in Hazaribagh, was brought to Hazaribagh later in the evening and produced before a court, which sent her to judicial custody till August 29.
“We have arrested her (Nirmala Devi) today afternoon. She was arrested about five-six kms away from the Assembly. She is being produced in the court,” said Hazaribagh SP, Akhilesh Jha. A team of Hazaribagh police was camping in Ranchi for the last two days and keeping an eye on the legislator’s movement, sources said.
Former minister and the MlA’s husband Yogendra Sao is already in jail in this case.
According to senior officials, police were waiting for her to come out of Assembly and arrest at a safe distance but that could not be done on Monday as the House was adjourned suddenly in the afternoon.
Sources further said that a format seeking permission from Assembly Speaker to arrest the legislator was also prepared but it could not be moved. The teams rather decided to wait and arrest her outside the House at a safe distance, they added.
After the arrest Nirmala Devi, who was evading arrest for over 10 days was produced in the court of First Class Judicial Magistrate Richa Srivastava. The court ordered to send her to judicial custody. The legislator, along with other accused already in JP Central Jail, will be produced before the court on August 29.
On August 14, Nirmala Devi and her husband former Minister Yogendra Sao led a rally of displaced persons of NTPC Coal Project defying section 144 imposed by the district administration in Dhenga village of Barkagaon. On that day the mob became violent which forced the police to open fire to disperse the mob. An FIR was lodged in Barkagaon PS in which 67 persons were made named accused, including both Nirmala Devi and Yogendra Sao. Yogendra Sao was nabbed by Hazaribagh police few days back from a hotel in Ranchi, but Nirmala Devi was absconding. On August 24 she was seen on the Jharkhand Assembly premises. The team led by Barkagaon PS OIC Ramdayal Munda with the help of Jagannathpur PS, Ranchi, nabbed the MlA at about 4 p.m. on Tuesday. She was brought to Hazaribagh at about 7 p.m. and produced before the court.
The police team was in Sadar Hospital with Nirmala Devi for her medical checkup at the time of filing this report. After medical checkup she will be sent to JP Central Jail.