Jharkhand BJP leader Sita Soren lodged a police complaint accusing her assistant of trying to shoot her in a hotel in the Dhanbad district, an officer said on Friday. The assistant allegedly pointed a handgun at Sita Soren, the sister-in-law of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, following an altercation over some issue late on Thursday night, Dhanbad DSP (law & order) Naushad Alam said.

The accused, identified as Devashish Manoranjan Ghosh, was arrested and a country-made handgun was recovered from him, Alam said.

Sita Soren, who was a three-term JMM MLA, joined the BJP in March last year, weeks before the Lok Sabha polls. She contested from the Jamtara assembly seat in November but was defeated by the JMM candidate.

She was in a private hotel in Saraidhela area of Dhanbad when Ghosh allegedly attempted to shoot her.

“Her bodyguard pounced on Ghosh and saved Sita Soren. After getting the information, the police reached the hotel. Ghosh was taken into custody and a country-made pistol was also recovered,” the DSP said.

Later, the daughter-in-law of JMM supremo Shibu Soren lodged a complaint with Saraidhela police station.

Alam said the security lapse angle was also being probed by the police.

The BJP leader had come to Dhanbad on Thursday evening to attend a wedding ceremony and Ghosh reportedly drove her car. After attending the programme, she went to the hotel to stay the night, another police official said.

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