A case has been lodged against six named and over 50 unknown assailants in connection with the alleged attack on member of Parliament (MP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Singhbhum Lok Sabha candidate Geeta Koda during her poll campaign at a village in her constituency on Sunday.
Koda and her convoy were attacked by an armed crowd on Sunday afternoon at Mohanpur village, which falls under Gamharia police station in chief minister Champai Soren’s home district Seraikela-Kharsawan.
The district administration’s flying squad team (FST) has loeged another case against five-six unknown persons for violation of Section 144 and carrying arms without permission.
The mob, armed with bows-arrows, pick axes, sticks, axes etc, blocked Koda and her convoy from entering the village, saying that the villagers supported the INDIA bloc and there was no need for the BJP candidate to enter the village. They even gheraoed the MP for over two hours before police and administration rescued her around 4.30pm.
“Some criminal elements shouting slogans supporting a particular political party were harassing and threatening us from villages in Kandra this morning. And as we approached Mohanpur, hundreds of supporters of that party came in on motorcycles and tractors and blocked our convoy. They were armed with sticks, bows, arrows, pick axes, axes etc. and manhandled our supporters, clothes of women were torn off. This is murder of democracy,” Koda told HT over phone.
The village also falls under the Seraikela assembly segment, represented by CM Champai Soren and is considered a strong hold of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
“How could they forcibly stop a candidate from campaigning. This is a deep-rooted conspiracy. I have filed a complaint at Gamharia police station against six named and over 50 unknown assailants and reported the incident to the Election Commission of India (ECI),” Koda added.
Her husband and former chief minister Madhu Koda said, “The JMM should not nurture any misconception. Every brickbat will be answered in an equal measure,”
Sunil Kumar Prajapati, Seraikela sub-divisional officer (SDO), said, “A case has been lodged against five-six unknown persons by the FST team under sections 147, 148, 149, 341 342, 323, 324, 504, 506/34 and 171 f of the IPC as per the process of violation of Section 144 and model code of conduct. A report is being sent to the Election Commission as well,”
The State Election Commission has also ordered a probe by the range inspector general (IG) into the attack after a delegation of the BJP legal cell, led by its state convenor Sudhir Srivastav, filed a complaint with the state chief election officer K Ravi Kumar and submitted related video clips in a pen drive.
Meanwhile, BJP state president Babulal Marandi has demanded increased security for Geeta Koda and strong action against the perpetrators in a post on X tagging the state director general of police (DGP).
“When downfall looms large, the conscience dies first. Any amount of condemnation is enough for the cowardly attack on Geeta Koda during poll campaign by JMM leaders and workers. In fact, JMM has got unnerve with imminent defeat staring at their faces and hence they are attacking BJP leaders and workers. When a sitting lady MP is not safe, the security of ordinary women and common people under this government is an easy guess,” said Marandi.
“The voters will give a befitting reply. This happened in CM’s constituency, and we suspect his tacit connivance in this also. Ever since Geeta Koda left the Congress and started exposing the evil deeds of INDI alliance, the conspirator coterie of (former chief minister) Hemant Soren has started attacking her first on social media and now on ground. The ECI should take cognizance of this as soon as possible and act,” added Marandi.
Leader of the Opposition (LoP)Amar Bauri said, This was an attack on democracy and Constitution by the pervert and frustrated JMM leaders and workers on the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar. Geeta Koda was attacked in CM’s home district.”
JMM, on the other hand, alleged that the altercation was started by the BJP and its workers. “The LoP has been tweeting SOS playing the victim, but the fact is it was BJP leaders who started the altercation by pushing and shoving tribal villagers. The villagers then gheraoed Geeta Koda and others. They were peeved because the MP didn’t even come to the village once after winning last time,” the JMM said on X, in response to a video clip of the clash.
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