Jail assault, a conspiracy to eliminate me: Madhu Koda

Former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda alleged that the Monday incident when he was assaulted inside a jail in Ranchi was a conspiracy to eliminate him. "It was a conspiracy to kill me in the jail. When I fell down after being beaten up by prison guards, they continued to rain baton blows on my chest. I was taken to hospital three hours after the incident," Koda told the media at the hospital.

The member of Parliament, who suffered a fracture in his arm, had first made the allegations after Monday's incident at Birsa Central Jail.

"If the fate of a former chief minister and Lok Sabha member can be such inside the jail, imagine the situation of common persons out there," Koda said.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda said his government was ready for a high-level judicial probe into the incident. Munda said that he had already announced a judicial inquiry on Tuesday while returning from Delhi.

"However, if Koda and his supporters want a probe by a retired judge of high court, the state government would have no objection in this," he said.

Munda had on Tuesdau announced a probe by a retired district judge but on Wednesday Koda and his supporters demanded a probe by a retired judge of high court.

Munda said the government would not tolerate such incidents and make sure that the culprit is brought to justice. At the same time he also cautioned against playing politics on this issue.