2 FIRs against Babulal Marandi for ‘derogatory remarks’ against Soren family

A JMM worker in Ranchi district lodged the FIR against Babulal Marandi for allegedly making derogatory remarks.

RANCHI: Two criminal cases have been registered against Jharkhand Bharatiya Janata Party president Babulal Marandi on charges that he used derogatory remarks for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren and his son, chief minister Hemant Soren, police said on Friday.

Jharkhand BJP president and former chief minister Babulal Marandi started the Sankalp Yatra from Barhait on August 17 (X/babulalmarandi)

The two first information reports (FIR) have been filed in state capital Ranchi and Deoghar district.

In Ranchi, the FIR has been registered on a complaint filed by JMM worker Sonu Tirkey who cited Marandi’s statement made at a Press conference convened at the state BJP headquarters on August 16. Tirkey said Marandi called the JMM chief’s family dacoits who looted tribals and said there was a defect in the Soren family.

The state BJP chief’s media statements on August 16 preceded his Sankalp Yatra that started the following day from Barhait, the assembly segment that voted Hemant Soren in the last elections. Marandi has continued with his sharp attacks on the ruling JMM leadership in speeches in the course of the yatra, alleging that the JMM-Congress-RJD government in the state has promoted nothing but loot and corruption. The yatra will continue till October 10 in seven phases.

A Ranchi police officer said the FIR was registered under sections 500 [defamation], 504 [insulting someone to provoke breach of peace] and 505 (2) [publishing statement to create enmity or hatred on grounds of religion, race or community] of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

In Deoghar, an FIR has been registered with the Madhupur police station under similar sections. “We are adding section 153 (a) IPC (hate speech) in the FIR as after inquiry, it was found that the complaint also invites cognisable offence under 153 (a),” said Deoghar superintendent of police (SP) Ajit Peter Dungdung.

JMM president of Ranchi district Mustaq Alam told reporters that more FIRs should be filed against Marandi. “The language he has used is unacceptable and police should take appropriate action against him,” he added.

According to news agency PTI, the BJP responded to the FIR against Marandi in Ranchi, saying it was the fourth “government-sponsored case” against Marandi in recent times. The BJP said the ruling dispensation was “acting out of desperation” seeing the massive support for Sankalp Yatra.