Overview
- Babulal Marandi formally handed back the 13-year-old bulletproof SUV to the state and asked the Home Department to acknowledge receipt after frequent mid-journey breakdowns.
- Marandi said the car and three convoy vehicles are dilapidated and unsafe, and he first raised the issue in a March 21, 2026 letter to the chief minister.
- He has given Chief Minister Hemant Soren seven days for a written response and has asked for a uniform technical review of security vehicles used by former chief ministers.
- The state ruling alliance said it will examine the complaint and suggested excess ethanol blending in petrol as a possible cause of breakdowns, but officials have not publicly accepted the returned vehicle or announced corrective steps.
- The issue highlights longer-term questions about allocation and maintenance after the Home Department bought 17 bulletproof cars in December 2024 and follows repeated warnings from Arjun Munda’s office and a convoy accident near Chowka on November 6.