Jharkhand BJP chief charged with sedition, plot to 'destabilise' state govt

A sedition case was registered in bypoll-bound Dumka against Jharkhand BJP chief and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash for allegedly trying to destabilise the JMM-Congress-RJD government in the state

A sedition case was

registered in bypoll-bound Dumka against Jharkhand BJP chief and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash on Saturday for allegedly trying to destabilise the JMM-Congress-RJD government in the state, police said.

The BJP leader had on Friday said in a press conference that the saffron party will form the government in the state in the next two-three months.

Prakash, on the other hand, dared the state government to arrest him within 24 hours.

Based on a complaint lodged by Congress's Dumka district chief Shyamal Kishore Singh, a case under Sections 124A (punishment for sedition), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) was registered with Dumka police station against Prakash for allegedly trying to destabilise the Jharkhand government, SP Amber Lakra said.

The statements of all persons concerned will be recorded and a thorough investigation will be conducted. The future course of action will depend on the probe, he said.

"I am prepared to get arrested. If the Hemant Soren government has guts, it must arrest me within 24 hours," Prakash told PTI.

He said the state government is taking "provocative illegal action" as it's frustrated sensing its imminent defeat in the November 3 byelections to Dumka and Bermo seats.

"The FIR lodged by the Congress and the JMM shows they don't have faith in the Election Commission. If they had any complaint against my press conference, they should have gone to the commission. Instead, they used police power to influence the byelections," the BJP leader said.

JMM general secretary and chief spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said, "We have ousted the BJP from power in Jharkhand and its rule in Bihar will also end soon."

"We will not let the BJP murder democracy and destabilise an elected government," he added.

Bhattacharya had also gone to the police station with Congress leaders to ensure that the FIR was registered against Prakash.

In Hemant Soren's home turf Dumka, his younger brother Basant Soren is pitted against former cabinet minister Lois Marandi of the BJP.

It is expected to be a straight fight between BJP's Yogeshwar Mahato and Anup Singh of the Congress in Bermo seat in Bokaro district.