BOKARO: In a major embarrassment to
Jharkhand Police
,
Jairam Kumar Mahto
,
independent candidate
from
Giridih Lok Sabha seat
, managed to give cops the slip on Wednesday when they attempted to detain him in a two-year-old case.
Mahto
filed his nomination papers with the returning officer, attended a public meeting and escaped despite significant police presence at Bokaro Collectorate and ITI More ground.
Senior police officials refused to comment regarding this. Sources say the case against Mahto pertains to holding demonstration at the Vidhan Sabha. As many as 11 people, including Mahto, are named in the FIR.
Mahto, a popular leader, has gained significant support from the locals through his organisation Jharkhandi Bhasha Khatian Sangharsh Samiti. His large gatherings have become a cause for concern for major political parties. A samiti functionary said the FIR was filed on March 21, 2022. He claimed Mahto was not aware of the case until police came to arrest him.
“The protest in 2022 was peaceful and administrative officials assured no case was filed against us. Now we’ve come to know about the FIR. We did not receive any notice regarding the case,” the samiti functionary added.
Jairam Mahto filed his nomination and attended a public meeting in Bokaro before escaping despite significant police presence. Police were to detain him in a two-year-old case