Friday, January 28 2005 12:09 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jamshedpur: Two candidates, one each from JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) and BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), were arrested while an AJSU (All Jharkhand Students Union) nominee managed to escape from police custody yesterday (Jan 27, 2005), on the last day of filing nomination papers for the second phase of Assembly polls in Jharkhand slated for February 15.

The police said Samir Mohanty, AJSU candidate from Baharagora was arrested soon after he filed his nomination paper in the office of the sub-divisional officer-cum-returning officer at Ghatsila.

An arrest warrant had been issued against Mohanty, a JMM leader who joined AJSU to contest the coming poll, following a case lodged under sections 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship), 153(B) (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and others of the IPC in Chakulia police station a few months ago, the sources said.

However, hundreds of Mohanty's supporters arrived on the spot when he was being taken to the police jeep and snatched him from the policemen after a scuffle. A case on charges of escaping from police custody was registered against Mohanty.

In another case, JMM candidate from Potka Assembly seat Amulia Sardar and BJP candidate from Ghatsila constituency, Ramdas Hansda were also arrested in connection with cases pending against them for years, the sources said.

Three cases including a theft case were pending against Sardar while one case of 1994 was pending against Hansda.

Hansda, who was an active member of JMM, had snapped his ties with the party before joining BJP before the last Lok Sabha polls.