Jharkhand News

Following a lead for the past two days in the October-27 Patna serial blasts probe, Ranchi police on Sunday recovered nine live bombs matching those found in Patna from a lodge at Hindpiri in Ranchi. Police had earlier claimed that Indian Mujahideen had set up a 'Ranchi module' and had asked the Jharkhand government to set up an anti-terrorist squad.

Tracking a tip-off from the National Investigation Agency, Bihar police have arrested a person, Raju Sao, from Jharkhand's Dhanbad district in connection with the Patna serial blasts. Bihar police headed for Dhanbad on the basis of information given by one of the six suspects detained during a raid in Lakhisarai (Bihar) three days ago.

The collapse of the roof of an underground coal mine (Basanti Mata coal mine) of BCCL in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Monday resulted in the death of 4 people (three mine workers and an officer), while 164 miners were rescued. Reports suggest that the opening of the mine collapsed during a blast and trapped the workers.

Slamming Bihar and Jharkhand for non-payment of salaries to employees of Irrigation Corporations of the states, the Supreme Court on Friday said the employees were treated as "guinea pigs" and directed the governments to pay the dues from Jan-1995 till Sept-2004. The differences arising out of Bihar bifurcation resulted in the non-payment of salaries, driving employees to brink of starvation.

Three bodyguards of Jharkhand excise minister, Jai Prakash Bhai Patel, were on Saturday night robbed of their arms, which included two AK-47 rifles and one service revolver. Police sources suggested that all the three guards were drunk and had no recollection of events of the night, when they lost the weapons and ammunitions in the Maoist zone of Hazaribagh.

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren on Friday asked his cabinet ministers and bureaucrats not to use siren while travelling across Jharkhand. He also asked his cabinet colleagues to use minimum cars for their convoy. Soren's direction came while chairing a meeting attended by chief secretary RS Sharma, director general of police Rajeev Kumar and other senior officials, sources said.

The Election Commission is likely to announce the assembly poll dates for J&K and Jharkhand Saturday. The current term of the two assemblies will expire in January 2015. Voting will be held on 81 seats in Jharkhand, while 87 seats will go to poll in J&K. There are speculations that polling could be delayed in J&K because of recent floods.

The Election Commission on Saturday announced dates for assembly elections in J&K and Jharkhand. Both the states will go to the polls in five phases – Nov 25 (1st Phase), Dec 2 (2nd Phase), Dec 9 (3rd Phase), Dec 14 (4th Phase), Dec 20 (5th Phase). Counting of the polls for both the states will be held on Dec 23.

Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) chief, Babulal Marandi, has ruled out the possibility of an alliance with the BJP, saying his party was ready to contest all 81 Assembly seats in the five-phase November-December elections in the state. Earlier, five JVM MLAs, had left the party and joined BJP. In the 2009 Assembly elections, JVM fought as a Congress ally.