Ranchi/Jamshedpur: Jharkhand government
on Saturday freed two of the 14 arrested persons whose release the
Maoists set as a precondition to free the abducted BDO of
Dalbhumgarh Prashant Kumar Layek.
Jasmi Mardi and her father Bahadur Mardi were granted bail
by a court in Ghatsila, a day after the police submitted
case diaries before the court, coinciding with the release of
the BDO.
"It could be termed as a diplomatic effort and not
operational," said an official release today quoting Chief
Minister Shibu Soren on the release of BDO by the ultras
yesterday after he was abducted on February 13.
On February 16, Soren had announced that legal process
had begun into the cases of the jailed persons whom Maoists
claimed to be innocent and wanted to be freed.
The lawyer of Mardi, M Haque, said the two were
released on sureties of Rs 10,000 each and will be released
from Ghatsila sub-divisional jail later during the day.
Jasmi and her father have been released from jail,
Assistant Jailor of Ranchi Central Jail, Srikant, now on
deputation at Ghatsila sub-divisional jail, told PTI.
As per the condition of releasing the BDO, Maoists had
demanded the release of 14 "innocent persons" lodged in
Dalbhumgarh jail.
Chairing a high-level meeting attended by Home
Secretary J B Tubid and Jharkhand Police Chief Neyaz Ahmed
among others, Soren said reports of "innocent people being
implicated in false cases had come to notice".
Calling upon the police to sensitise all the police
stations in Jharkhand, Soren asked the in-charge of each
police station to keep in touch with 5-6 villagers to get
information on various activities.
Soren wanted use funds to tighten intelligence network
and funds should reach till the police station level.
Meanwhile, a case has been pending in Jharkhand High
Court in connection with alleged withdrawal of Rs 5.6 crore
from the Secret Service Fund (SSF) by a top police officer on
March 16, 2006.
On June 2, 2009, the Accountant General had written to
the state government claiming that the amount was withdrawn
without following Special Branch Manual and Bihar Financial
Rules and he had not submitted requisite documents.
The SSF is meant for spending on getting vital
intelligence, source said.
Freed Jharkhand BDO meets Shibu Soren
Dalbhumgarh BDO Prashant Kumar
Layek tonight met Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, a day
after being released by Maoists, sources said.
He met Soren for some time but did not share his
week-long experience at a Maoist hideout with the waiting
mediamen.
Layek was kidnapped on February 13 and released
yesterday after the state government agreed to one of their
key demands to release 14 'innocent persons' lodged in jail.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, February 20, 2010, 22:29