Bokaro: Police action against suspected illegal paddy trading in Bokaro's Goniyato area was disrupted when Dumri MLA Jairam Mahato intervened, leading the release of a detained truck loaded with paddy. The incident began after villagers in Uparghat, Nawadih block, informed Pek-Narayanpur police about some middlemen illegally purchasing paddy at a price lower than the marker rate for sale outside the district.
A police team then went to the area and intercepted a truck. But the team found itself in a predicament when neither the circle officer (CO) nor any administrative officials arrived at the spot despite a five-hour wait. Later, MLA Jairam Mahato arrived at the spot with a group of supporters and facilitated the truck's release, citing inadequate police probe. He criticized police for targeting paddy transporters while allegedly ignoring coal theft. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media.
Police station officer-in-charge Anil Linda described the situation as ‘very strange', stating despite multiple calls to the CO and the SDO requesting their presence for legal proceedings, no officials responded. "We stayed from 11 am until evening, but the MLA's intervention left us helpless," Linda told TOI.
Attempts to reach the CO and Bokaro DC Jadhav Vijaya Narayan Rao for comments were unsuccessful.