The Hindu : National : Luxury vehicle to jail bus

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Wednesday, Nov 29, 2006
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National

Luxury vehicle to jail bus — all in a day for Soren

NEW DELHI: Following his conviction in a murder case here on Tuesday, Union Minister Shibu Soren had to abandon his car with a flashing beacon light for a ramshackle bus of the Tihar Jail that broke down soon after the "VIP prisoner" boarded it.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Soren arrived at the Tis Hazari court premises in his private Qualis car with a handful of supporters and marched towards the court of Additional Sessions Judge B.R. Kedia.

The 62-year-old JMM leader probably had no inkling that he would not return in his luxury vehicle to the comfort of his official bungalow.

After being convicted by the court in a case of kidnap and murder of his secretary Shashi Nath Jha, Soren was escorted by police to the waiting jail vehicle. After completing formalities, the vehicle refused to start, much to the anxiety of the driver who had a tough time in setting it right.

2 more criminal cases

In addition to the kidnap and murder case, Mr. Soren has at least two more criminal cases — the 1974 Chirrudih massacre and the 1975 Kudko murder case — against him in Jharkhand. He had resigned from the Union Coal Ministry in July 2004 after a non-bailable warrant was issued by a court in connection with the killing 10 persons in Chirrudih.

He also faces a triple-murder case in a Giridih court in connection with an incident in Kudko in 1975.

PTI

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