Jamshedpur, June 13: Buoyed by expectations and hope, residents came out in numbers today to support one man who they believe can arrest the deteriorating law and order in the city — Ajoy Kumar.
The 47-year-old former IPS officer, who had created a niche by ending the mafia raj in Jamshedpur during his tenure (1993-97), saw more than 3,000 supporters join in a rally of their own accord, the JVM candidate’s campaign manager Rammurthy claimed.
“We have high hopes from Kumar, who is a former IPS and a doctor, and therefore different from the other politicians in the fray. We strongly believe that he will take steps to improve law and order and usher in development,” said Munawar Hussain, a resident of Azadnagar.
He added that political leaders had so far been cheating the minorities.
Hussain, part of a huge crowd that swarmed Gandhi Maidan in Mango, where Kumar had convened a meeting, echoed the sentiments of a city that had been rocked by a series of burglaries in the past few weeks.
“We had specifically asked our block presidents not to send rural populace for this meeting. They should instead prepare their fields for the ensuing monsoon. We do not believe in showing our strength through numbers. All the people who attended the meeting came here on their own,” said Kumar, who is also the CEO of a Delhi-based private healthcare group.
The former super cop’s day in Jamshedpur earlier began at Sitala Mandir in Sakchi, where he sought blessings before hurrying off to address the rally at Gandhi Maidan.
Dressed in a white shirt and a blue waistcoat, Kumar held on to his old charisma, as he addressed the crowds for 10 minutes and appealed to the residents to come out of their slumber and be on their guard against sly politicians.
“I am floored by the love and respect you people have shown me here. I promise to repay every bit of it by ushering in development. You have been voting for the wrong candidates so far. You have a leader like Babulal Marandi, who has a clean record. So, you should vote for his party,” Kumar told the gathering.
He then walked around 100 metres from the dais before making his way to the Dhalbhum SDO’s office to file his nomination.
JVM central general secretary Pradeep Yadav, central secretary Abhay Singh, district secretary Firoz Khan, Ichagarh MLA and Jamshedpur in-charge Arvind Singh, among others, accompanied Kumar. The former SP filed his nomination in two sets, with Abhay Singh and Chanchal Garg (district party treasurer) proposing each set around 2pm.
