Ranchi, 17 June (H.S.):

An attempt was made late Tuesday night to attack the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office in Nivaranpur under the Chutia police station area of Jharkhand's capital, Ranchi, by hurling petrol bombs. According to the police, two miscreants filled sauce bottles with petrol and attempted to throw them into the RSS office premises. Both bottles fell short of the boundary wall, preventing what could have been a major incident.

City Superintendent of Police Paras Rana said an investigation has been initiated into the incident. According to the preliminary findings, two youths were involved in the attack. Several teams, including the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), have been deployed to investigate the case.

CCTV footage recovered from the area shows the two attackers attempting to throw petrol-filled bottles at the RSS office. While throwing the first bottle, the burning wick detached and fell to the ground, causing the attempt to fail. The second bottle also failed to reach the office premises. Police said the improvised petrol bombs had been prepared using empty chilli sauce bottles.

Local residents claimed there is speculation that some employees of a hotel located adjacent to the RSS office are under suspicion. According to them, members of the RSS office had lodged a complaint against the hotel a few days earlier over sanitation issues and other concerns, following which a dispute had been ongoing. Police are also examining the possibility that hotel employees may have been involved in the attack.

Soon after receiving information about the incident, Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth and BJP leader Babulal Marandi visited the RSS office. BJP leaders questioned the law-and-order situation in the state and demanded a fair investigation along with the immediate arrest of those responsible.

Describing the incident as extremely serious, Seth said that if the attack had succeeded, officials present inside the office could have been harmed. He said he had spoken to the Director General of Police and stressed that the case must be investigated thoroughly so that those responsible are identified and brought to justice at the earliest.

Seth further said that the incident was not an ordinary one and described it as an attack on our mother. He urged the police administration to uncover the motive behind the attack. Referring to the CCTV footage, he said it showed a taxi accompanied by a motorcycle, indicating that the operation had been carefully planned. According to him, the suspects visited the location twice. They first arrived with their faces covered, threw one petrol bomb, left the scene, and later returned to launch a second attack. He said the sequence suggested a well-planned conspiracy and called for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators.

BJP MLA C.P. Singh said the attack was not merely directed at an office but was an attack on all followers of Sanatan Dharma. He also asserted that the incident had no connection with the Rajya Sabha elections.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar