Jharkhand Assembly Adjourned Amid Uproar Over BJP Leader’s Murder
March 27 – The Jharkhand Assembly was adjourned on Thursday following a heated exchange between opposition and ruling party legislators over the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anil Mahto.
Mahto, BJP’s Ranchi rural district general secretary and a former Zilla Parishad member, was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants near Kanke Chowk in Ranchi on Wednesday. His killing triggered a political outcry, with BJP lawmakers accusing the state government of failing to maintain law and order.
As the House convened for the day’s session, BJP legislators raised slogans, demanding justice for Mahto and calling the state administration “patronizers of criminals.” Ranchi BJP MLA C.P. Singh urged Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato to “stop shielding a murderous government.”
The protests led to chaos in the Assembly, with lawmakers from both the opposition and ruling benches storming the Well, forcing Speaker Mahato to adjourn the proceedings until 12:55 p.m.
State Tourism Minister Sudivya Kumar countered the BJP’s allegations, accusing the party of inciting tensions and undermining law and order. He pointed to recent communal clashes in Hazaribag, where an FIR was filed against 10 named individuals and 200 unidentified persons over stone-pelting incidents.
Earlier in the day, BJP legislators staged protests outside the Assembly, demanding the execution of Mahto’s killers. Supporters of BJP, AJSU Party, and other organizations enforced a nine-hour bandh in Ranchi, disrupting normal life. Businesses, schools, and public transport remained affected as demonstrators blocked roads in protest. The Jharkhand government has yet to comment on the allegations, while police continue investigations into Mahto’s murder.
