Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Babulal Marandi has returned the bulletproof vehicle provided to him by the state government
Alleging repeated breakdowns and negligence in addressing security-related complaints despite several written communications to the authorities. In a strongly worded letter to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Marandi questioned why he was expected to travel across the state in a vehicle that repeatedly breaks down midway, despite having personally brought the matter to the attention of senior government officials. He asked whether the Chief Minister himself would agree to undertake an official tour in such a vehicle. Marandi recalled that he had written to Soren on March 21, 2026, pointing out that the Home Department had purchased 17 bulletproof vehicles in December 2024. Of these, three were allotted for the Chief Minister’s use and two for the Raj Bhavan, while the remaining 12 were kept in reserve at headquarters for VIP movement.
He alleged that former chief ministers were still dependent on vehicles that were 10-12 years old. The bulletproof Safari allotted to him was around 13 years old, while three Gypsies accompanying his convoy, used by security personnel, were in a dilapidated condition and had clocked over four lakh kilometres. Marandi said his personal secretary, Rajendra Tiwari, had also written to the Home Secretary, while the DGP and IG (Provision) had repeatedly been informed about the condition of the vehicles. He questioned why no corrective action had been taken despite repeated complaints.
Raising questions about alleged political interference, Marandi said he had been informally told that the replacement of his vehicle was being blocked by “orders from above”. He demanded that the government identify who had issued such instructions and on what authority. He also referred to former chief minister Arjun Munda’s complaints, claiming that six letters had been sent between July 2024 and June 2026 regarding the poor condition of his security vehicles. Despite a Home Department directive on March 14, 2026, the complaints allegedly remained unresolved. One vehicle in Munda’s convoy met with an accident near Chowka on November 6.
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