Babulal Marandi returns 13-year-old bulletproof vehicle to government

Babulal Marandi, Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, senior BJP leader, and former Chief Minister, has formally returned a 13-year-old bulletproof vehicle allocated for his security to the state government. According to reports by 'The Hindu' and 'Aaj Tak', Marandi took this decision as the vehicle frequently broke down during travel. He has informed Chief Minister Hemant Soren via a letter and instructed the Home Department to accept the vehicle and provide the receipt to his office.

In the letter to the Chief Minister, Babulal Marandi raised questions regarding serious negligence in the security arrangements for former Chief Ministers and the dilapidated condition of the vehicles. He stated that the 13-year-old bulletproof SUV is in extremely poor condition. Marandi further added that not only his primary vehicle, but three jeeps used by security personnel in his convoy are equally dilapidated, having covered a distance of over 4 lakh kilometres.

Babulal Marandi reminded in the letter that he had previously informed the Chief Minister about the poor condition of the bulletproof vehicle in a letter dated 21 March 2026. Even after nearly eight months of such a major complaint, no concrete action has been taken. He alleged that despite repeated complaints, the security vehicle was not replaced, forcing him to return the vehicle. He questioned Chief Minister Hemant Soren whether he himself would wish to undertake a future journey in such a broken-down vehicle.

Expressing serious concern over security, Marandi said that while a vehicle breakdown might be treated as a matter of routine maintenance in office files, in reality, the price is paid by the driver and security personnel. At such times, security personnel are left confused as to whether they should attend to the broken vehicle, manage traffic, or ensure the security of the person they are assigned to protect.

Marandi further stated in the letter that he had informed senior officials at the Chief Minister's residence, the DGP, IG Provision, and the Home Secretary multiple times, but no improvement occurred. He claimed that he had learned several times that the process of replacing the vehicle was being stopped "from above". He directly questioned Hemant Soren about who this "above" is. If such an order was given, in what capacity and on what basis was it given? And if no such order exists, in whose name are the officials avoiding this decision? Marandi said it is the Chief Minister's responsibility to bring this truth to light.

On this issue, Marandi mentioned 17 bulletproof vehicles purchased by the Home Department in December 2024. He stated that out of these 17 vehicles, 3 were allocated for the Chief Minister's use and 2 for the Raj Bhavan, while the remaining 12 were kept in the headquarters reserve for the movement of VIPs. He questioned why former Chief Ministers have been left to rely on 10-12 year old dilapidated vehicles when new and superior vehicles are made available for the Chief Minister.

Babulal Marandi also mentioned the security arrangements of former Chief Minister Arjun Munda. He stated that Arjun Munda had also expressed concern over the poor condition of his security vehicles and had written six letters on this issue between July 2024 and June 2026. Marandi specifically mentioned an accident involving a vehicle in Arjun Munda's convoy near Choka on NH-33 on 6 November. He alleged that if new vehicles are allocated for the Chief Minister while two former Chief Ministers in the opposition have to write repeated letters to keep their convoys operational, it is considered politically motivated.

Addressing Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Marandi asked an emotional and logical question: today he is the Chief Minister, but one day he too will become a former Chief Minister. If he faces a similar situation at that time, what accountability would he expect from the government?

Babulal Marandi has demanded that the security vehicles of all former Chief Ministers of the state be reviewed based on uniform criteria and that secure and better vehicles be provided to them immediately. Along with this, he has demanded a written report within seven days on what action has been taken on the complaints received so far.

Babulal Marandi is a former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and is currently serving as the Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party.