Home secy to probe minister’s Naxal ‘links’

A delegation of Jharkhand Opposition leaders led by JMM chief Shibu Soren today met Governor Syed Sibtey Razi and handed him a memorandum, d...

A delegation of Jharkhand Opposition leaders led by JMM chief Shibu Soren today met Governor Syed Sibtey Razi and handed him a memorandum, demanding dismissal of state Welfare Minister Ramesh Singh Munda and a CBI probe into his alleged link with Naxalites.

And around the same time, the Jharkhand government yielded to the incessant demands from its coalition partner JD(U) and ordered a probe. ‘‘I have asked the home secretary to initiate a probe on two points — correctness of the published letter in a newspaper and how it was leaked…maybe Additional DGP J.B. Mahapatra will inquire into the two points,’’ Home Minister Sudesh Mahto told mediapersons.

In their memorandum, the Opposition leaders demanded a ‘‘case of sedition be filed against Ramesh’’.

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The Opposition’s arguments are based on an April 7 letter sent by IG (Operations, Law & Order) R.C. Kaithal, to his SPs wherein he said that he had information regarding Ramesh’s links with Naxalites.

‘‘Police have never missed an opportunity to slap POTA against a common man on simple information that he has provided shelter to Naxalites. But when the IG had information that the Minister had established contact with the Naxals…why can’t he be arrested?,’’ asked the memorandum.

Sources said Kaithal had drafted his letter on information received from the CID, headed by Additional DGP B.D.Ram. Ram is the brother-in-law of JD(U) MLA Radha Krishan Kishore, against whom Ramesh and Mahto had rebelled after he was inducted into the Cabinet by the CM last month on the advice of Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari.

Earlier, reacting to reports in local newspapers that the CM was inclined to get the letter leak probed by Ram, Ramesh said this was not acceptable to him. ‘‘We would like a neutral body to investigate ,’’ he said.