Ranchi, August 22: A nine-member team of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) will visit Dakaita village in Lalmatia, Godda district, on August 24 to investigate the alleged encounter of tribal leader Surya Hansda.
The delegation will be led by commission members Dr. Asha Lakra and Nirupam Chakma, and will include member secretary Y.P. Yadav, advisor H.R. Meena, Subhash Rashik Soren, Rahul Yadav, researcher Rahul Kumar, personal secretary Kusheshwar Sahu, and Prati Ranjan Chakma, among others.
The team will arrive at Deoghar airport from New Delhi and proceed to the Godda Circuit House. After a brief halt, the delegation will travel to Dakaita village to meet Hansda’s family and locals. Later in the evening, the commission will hold a meeting with DC Anjali Yadav and SP Mukesh Kumar at the Circuit House to hear the district administration’s version of events. The proposed visit was officially confirmed by NCST Deputy Director R.K. Dubey on Thursday.
The probe comes amid growing political storm over the incident. BJP leader Arjun Munda has termed the alleged encounter a “carefully orchestrated conspiracy” and demanded a CBI investigation, while AJSU chief and former Deputy CM Sudesh Mahto has questioned the police version, saying people have “little trust in the official story” and sought a fair probe.
Surya Hansda 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 have rejected this account outright, calling it a “premeditated encounter” and accusing the police of staging the incident.
