Ranchi, August 25: The alleged encounter of tribal leader Surya Hansda sparked a major uproar in the Jharkhand Assembly on Monday, leading to repeated adjournments and heated exchanges between the government and the opposition.
The uproar began after Food Supply Minister referred to Surya Hansda as a “criminal,” drawing sharp objections from Leader of Opposition and BJP State President Babulal Marandi. “Until someone’s crime is proven in court, it is not right to call him a criminal,” Marandi retorted, alleging that Hansda was “murdered in a conspiracy.”
Marandi pointed out that although cases were registered against Hansda in the past, he was acquitted in most of them. “Surya Hansda has never been convicted in any case. Only a court can declare someone guilty, not ministers or public representatives,” he said.
Comparing the matter to senior JMM leader Shibu Soren, who had also faced cases in the past, Marandi stressed that politics often attracts legal battles, but they do not automatically make someone a criminal.
Reiterating his demand for a probe, the BJP leader urged Chief Minister Hemant Soren to recommend a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into Hansda’s alleged encounter. “The CBI should investigate this case. The truth must come out. Branding someone a criminal without trial is unjust,” he said.
Earlier, the House witnessed repeated adjournments over the Hansda issue before resuming in the second-half, where the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report was tabled. While the opposition pressed for answers on the encounter, the ruling party countered by raising issues around the Special Investment Region (SIR) project in Bihar and the contentious 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill, which seeks to bar Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers, and Ministers from holding office if jailed for 30 days or more.
Earlier BJP leader and former Union Minister Arjun Munda had termed the alleged encounter of Surya Hansda a “carefully orchestrated conspiracy” and demanded a CBI investigation, while AJSU chief and former Deputy CM Sudesh Mahto questioned the police version, saying people have “little trust in the official story” and sought a fair probe.
Notably, Surya was shot dead by police on August 11. Officials claimed he was killed while trying to escape during a transfer from Deoghar to Godda after allegedly snatching a weapon and attempting to flee towards the Jirli–Dhamni hills.
However, Hansda’s family and villagers rejected this account outright, calling it a “premeditated encounter” and accusing the police of staging the incident.
