A key witness in the Jharkhand illegal mining case, Vijay Hansda, has turned hostile during his cross-examination in a special court in Ranchi.
Hansda, who had earlier accused MLA representative of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Pankaj Mishra, of threatening him after he raised his voice against illegal mining, has now denied having any knowledge of such mining.
He also denied that Mishra had threatened him. The cross-examination of Hansda is still underway and is expected to continue on Thursday. An ED official said that Hansda has been changing his statements repeatedly.
“When Hansda first complained about illegal mining at Nimbu Pahad, ED took up the matter. Later, the district police detained him in connection with a criminal investigation. A paper stating his desire to drop the lawsuit went viral at the time of his detention. Later, he claimed his signature was forcibly taken in the jail and denied ever intending to withdraw his lawsuit,” the official said.
“When he was granted bail, he filed a fresh petition before the HC to withdraw the case, demanding a probe by an independent agency. He made frivolous allegations against his advocates, stating that he had never given his consent for that petition. But the court of Justice Sanjay Dwivedi had rejected his petition and, on August 24, directed the CBI to do a preliminary enquiry and submit a report within a month,” the official added.
The turn of events has raised questions about the credibility of Hansda’s testimony and the impact it will have on the case. The case is being investigated by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED had registered a case against Pankaj Mishra and others in 2021 after Hansda filed a complaint alleging that they were involved in illegal mining in the state. The case is being closely monitored by the Jharkhand High Court.”
