‘Votes’, ‘tomatoes’ land Latehar JDU candidate in jail

| | DALTONGANJ
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‘Votes’, ‘tomatoes’ land Latehar JDU candidate in jail

Friday, 06 December 2019 | PNS | DALTONGANJ

It is ‘votes’ and ‘tomatoes’that sent JDU candidate from Latehar constituency Phoolchand Ganjhu behind the bars as on November 4 police remanded him in judicial custody.

Sources said prompt police intervention saved the situation which could have taken a turn towards an outbreak of hostility between tribal and non tribal here. The tussle was nipped in bud.

As voting was just over on November 30 and this spate of incidents took place on December 2, in which JDU candidate Phoolchand Ganjhu was at the vortex of the offence anything worse could have taken place said sources. 

SP Latehar Prashant Anand said on Tuesday that two criminal cases were lodged against Phoolchand Ganjhu which led to his judicial remand. He said one Raj Kumar Pandey, a resident of Dewariya Tola under Chatra district and who used to sell his tomatoes in tomato market at Goniya /Giddie More market under Latehar district’s Balumath police station lodged a criminal case against Phoolchand Ganjhu with the Balumath police station on December 2.

Anand said Pandey in his FIR against Ganjhu has accused him of obstructing the sale of his 7,500 kg of tomatoes besides confining him wrongfully and making him a captive at his (Ganjhu’s) house where he was abused. Pandey further wrote in the FIR his cell phone was snatched by Ganjhu.

The SP quoting Pandey’s complaint said tomato seller Pandey has apprehended threat to his life and urged action against Ganjhu. Balumath police have invoked section 365 of IPC against Ganjhu.

The SP added one more FIR was lodged against Ganjhu by another tomato seller Sumer Singh with the Balumath police station where along with Sumer Singh the prime complainant of the FIR, other signatories of the FIR namely Shiv Narain Singh, Vinay Singh, Ramesh Kumar Singh and Angulesh Kumar Singh have accused Ganjhu of demanding extortion from them if the tomato sellers are to sell their tomatoes at Ganiya or Giddie More tomato market failing which they cannot sell their produce.

Sumer Singh has further alleged in the FIR that Ganjhu his brother Permeshwar Ganjhu and more than half a dozen other associates of Ganjhu made a bid on their lives for not voting for him in this Assembly election held on November 30.

Sumer Singh has accused Ganjhu and others of snatching gold chain, watches and cash worth 47,000 from him (Rs 10,000) his tomato co sellers namely Angulesh Singh (15,000) Vinay Singh (10,000) Shiv Narain Singh (5,000) Ramesh Singh (7,000).

Balumath police station invoked Sections 147,148, 149, 323,385, 341, 307, 504, 506 and 34 of IPC against Ganjhu and other named accused.

Phoolchand Ganjhu too has lodged a criminal case against 20 named accused charging them with calling and abusing him by his tribal caste name, storming into his house, stoning the house, concocting false case of kidnapping of Raj Kumar Pandey, tearing off his shirt and assaulting him when police had rescued him from the rioters who had so attacked his house and family.

SDPO, Balumath Ranveer Singh said police acted too fast and rescued Ganjhu which Ganjhu in his FIR too has corroborated by writing ‘prashashan sheeghar pahoonch gaya’ (administration reached my house immediately).

The SDPO said there had gone a mob to the house of Ganjhu in the wake of alleged kidnapping of Pandey and assault of other tomato sellers and the mob was armed with stciks and was belligerent too.

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