Local residents squatted on the road and blocked the State Highway on Thursday, demanding the arrest of Rajan, one of the accused in the kidnapping and murder of four-year-old Nishant Jaiswal. Around 2000 residents from Khunti sub division gathered in the field near Torpa village and staged a protest demonstration. “We want the accused to be arrested immediately,” said Brinda Singh and Arvind Sundi, two of their leaders.On Sunday, Chandrashekhar Jaiswal had lodged a police complaint after his son Nishant went missing. According to police sources, Nishant was allegedly kidnapped by Mangra Mahato’s son Baldev (13) and Sandu Mahato’s son Rajan (14). Later, an FIR was filed against the duo based on the statements of those interrogated. While Baldev was arrested and sent to jail, Rajan is reportedly missing. “Both the boys are drug addicts.They had abducted Nishant to extort money from Jaiswal. But since they couldn’t get the money, they killed him and threw his body in an isolated place,” Ranchi SSP B S Bhatia told The Indian Express.However, residents claim that the police have deliberately not arrested the prime accused since his father is an influential person. The issue was also raised in the state Assembly on Thursday by the Opposition. Even as Koda defended himself by saying that the crime graph has not shown any upward trend during his tenure, the news of Laxman Hembrom’s murder today served another blow to the government’s image.
