The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has taken cognisance of the alleged encounter killing of former BJP candidate Surya Hansda in Godda and has issued notices to senior Jharkhand officials.
On Monday, the Commission directed the State Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, Godda Deputy Commissioner, and Superintendent of Police to appear within three days and explain what action had been taken on complaints filed after the incident.
The NCST has warned that it may issue a summons if the officials fail to comply. The intervention follows a complaint lodged by Rajya Sabha MP and former Jharkhand BJP president Deepak Prakash.
Hansda was killed on August 11 in what police described as an encounter near Lalmatia Dhamani Pahad under Boarijor police station. He had been taken into custody the previous evening.
Police maintained he was a criminal facing several serious cases, with recent FIRs registered at Mirza Chowki (Sahibganj) and Lalmatia (Godda).
Also Read : SC cautions on misuse of PIL in Jharkhand DGP row
However, his family alleged foul play. His mother, Neelmuni Murmu, claimed plain-clothes policemen picked him up from his aunt’s house in Nawadih village, Deoghar, on 10 August, and that the encounter was staged.
The Jharkhand BJP unit has also rejected the police version, alleging the encounter was fake. The party has demanded a murder case against the personnel involved and a judicial inquiry, arguing that the incident undermines both tribal rights and trust in law enforcement.
Hansda had contested the Borio assembly seat four times but never won. He stood on a JVM ticket in 2009 and 2014, on a BJP ticket in 2019 where he finished second, and most recently on a JLKM ticket in 2024 after quitting the BJP.
Follow us
