By IANS,
Ranchi : Jolted by the acquittal of several hardcore Maoists, Jharkhand is planning to formulate a witness protection law in the state so that key witnesses do not turn hostile in court, a top official said Tuesday.
“The government will soon formulate a witness protection act. We will also ensure speedy trial of the arrested Maoists. The witness should be provided security and arrangements should be made to ferry them to court,” Jharkhand’s Director General of Police (DGP) Gauri Shanker Rath told IANS.
Police sources say that Maoists are acquitted in absence of concrete evidence. Even police officers are scared to turn up as witnesses in court.
“If a Maoist is involved in an ambush or a landmine blast, we find it hard to prove the charges. We hardly find witnesses and even if witnesses are found, they turn hostile in court,” a police officer told IANS.
In Jharkhand, more than 15 hardcore Maoists have been acquitted in the past five to six years.
Three Maoist guerrillas accused of killing five policemen, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police in Bundu block of Ranchi district, were acquitted last year due to lack of evidence. Even police officers who were made witnesses in the case turned hostile in court.