Former BJP Leader Surya Hansda Killed In Encounter In Jharkhand's Godda

Godda (Jharkhand): Former BJP leader and a history-sheeter, Surya Hansda, was shot dead in an encounter with police in the Godda district of Jharkhand on Monday morning, officials said.

The operation was carried out near Jirli Samari Pahari under the Boarijor police station area, a hilly and forested zone where Hansda was reportedly hiding. Following the encounter, a battery of police personnel and administrative officials cordoned off the area, prohibiting entry to the site. However, curious onlookers gathered in large numbers around the cordoned zone.

Confirming Hansda's death, Godda Superintendent of Police (SP) Mukesh Kumar said full details of the operation would be shared during a press briefing in the afternoon.

A resident of Dakaita village under Lalmatia police station limits, Hansda was once regarded as an influential political figure in the region. In 2019, he contested for the Borio assembly seat on a BJP ticket.

However, after being denied a ticket in the 2024 elections, he switched to the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) and contested again, but failed to secure a victory.

As per police records, Hansda faced dozens of criminal cases, ranging from violent attacks to destruction of property. On May 27, his name emerged in connection with a firing at Eastern Coalfields Ltd's Rajmahal project in Paharpur, where a machine operator sustained injuries. Investigators claimed the attack was carried out on Hansda's instructions.

He was also accused in an earlier case involving the torching of trucks and other vehicles at a crusher mill in the Sahibganj district. In 2021, police arrested and sent him behind bars in another criminal matter, though he was later released.

Police said Hansda had been evading arrest for several months, moving from one place to another after his name surfaced in a spate of recent violent incidents.

His elder brother, Mahendra Hansda, also has a long criminal antecedent, as his name cropped up in many kidnappings and criminal cases.

Hansda's mother said he (Surya) was undergoing treatment in Vellore. After returning to Deoghar, he was staying at a relative's place in Nawadih under Mohanpur, from where police in plain clothes came on a bike and took him away. "He has been missing since then, and there is a possibility of something untoward happening," she added.

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