india

Updated: May 12, 2019 16:56 IST

Jamshedpur Police on Sunday arrested Babulal Soren, JMM candidate Champai Soren’s son, on charges of disrupting government work, intimidating government officials and engaging in a scuffle with police officials, the police said.

Babulal has been absconding since April 18 after he pushed and shoved police officers and escaped from a check-post in Jadugora without allowing his SUV to be checked.

“We have arrested Babulal Soren at 1 am on chargesof disrupting government work and obstructing government officials from doing their duty. He has been absconding after running away from the Jadugora check-post without getting his car checked and he also got into a scuffle with police personnel there. He will be lodged in jail by the Jadugora police station officer-in-charge (OC),” Anoop Birthare, Jamshedpur senior superintendent of police (SSP) said.

Police sources said a team led by the Jadugora OC picked up Babulal Soren from Chirugora under Dhalbhugarh Block of East Singhbhum district at about 1 am in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. He was later produced in court from where he was sent to judicial custody.

Babulal’s father Champai Soren is locked in a direct fight with BJP candidate Bidyut Baran Mahato in the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat where voting was in progress on Sunday.

On April 18, the Jadugora police was checking vehicles on the Sundernagar-Jadugora road in view of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections-2019. When they stopped Babulal Soren’s SUV, a Black Fortuner at the check point near the Jadugora Hospital chowk and asked him to get down from his car and open the dickey, he got infuriated and allegedly engaged in a fist fight with an assistant sub inspector (ASI).

He even threatened the magistrate on duty, Pradeep Purty, of getting him dismissed from service and abused him. He also abused police personnel.

Babulal then escaped, forcing his way by pushing and shoving police personnel on duty without getting his vehicle checked as required by law and also the model code of conduct. The police said a case has been lodged against former minister Champai Soren’s son Babulal Soren at the Jadugora police station (PS) this evening on a complaint by magistrate Pradeep Purty.

JMM district president Ramdas Soren told HT that he was aware of Babulal Soren being arrested late last night. “This is BJP’s conspiracy to trap him and to malign our candidate Champai Soren. However, people will give them a befitting reply in Sunday’s polling,” Soren said.