Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s security beefed up after receiving threat mails

The security of Jharkhand Chief Minister, Hemant Soren, has been beefed up after he received three consecutive threat mails on different days. The mails have been sent from three different locations abroad. The police refrained from divulging details of the content and locations from where the threat mails have been sent, contending that all the three mails are ‘disposable’ which enables only their sender and receiver to read the content.

The mails started pouring in on the CM’s email address from July 8 when he received two mails in Hindi threatening to eliminate him ‘if he does not mend his ways’ (Sudhar jao nahi to jaan se maar denge).The police headquarters in Ranchi took up the matter seriously though it divulged little details on the plea that the matter was under investigation. An FIR in the case was lodged on July 13.

However, sources in the police confided on the condition of anonymity that the three threat mails have been sent with the server addresses located in Germany, Switzerland and Netherlands. Apart from threats, the mails also carry some religious slogans, the sources said, adding that case has been lodged with the cyber crime police station for investigation. But since the servers are located abroad, the investigating agencies are finding it hard to locate the sender of the mails.

Jharkhand police spokesperson, Suman Gupta said a team from the cyber police station is investigating the case and trying to locate the sender through the IP addresses of the mails. The sender has also threatened close associates and relatives of the Chief Minister.

The Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Dr Rameshwar Oraon, who holds the Finance portfolio in the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition in the state and who himself had been a senior police officer before joining politics, condemned the incident and said that it could be a game plan of disgruntled elements in the state who are distressed by the steps taken by the government to provide job, food and shelter to every section of society through government schemes. The corruption rampant in the previous government is being eliminated and so those who thrive on corruption seem to be unhappy; hence such threat mails to discourage the CM from taking pro active steps, Dr Oraon said.

However, speculations are rife in the air in the state capital about the possible reasons for such threats to life of the Chief Minister, Hemant Soren, who despite the crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been able to tackle much of the problem by taking into confidence his Cabinet colleagues and prominent organizations, attending his office in the state secretariat and many of the functions organized by the public. His latest decision to award construction contract upto Rs 25 crore to the locals, disallowing contractors from outside the state to bag such contracts as was the practice with the previous government, too has been welcomed by the people.