BHOPAL: Exposing gaps in policing in eastern Madhya Pradesh, the coal mafia in Shahdol district is not only engaging in illegal mining and transport but also targeting villagers and forest department personnel.
Forest ranger Ram Naresh Vishwakarma and his team were attacked by armed members of the coal mafia in the Khituali forest beat under Sohagpur Police Station while attempting to stop the transportation of illegally mined coal on 11 February.
Shockingly, despite the ranger promptly reporting the incident, the FIR against three identified accused, Betan Singh, Chintu Singh and Raju Singh and unidentified accomplices was registered only nearly 24 hours later, on the night of 12 February. The three named accused were subsequently arrested on 14 February, two days after the FIR was filed.
This was not the first incident involving the same coal mafia. Two days prior, the group had harassed the same ranger and absconded with a tractor loaded with illegally mined coal, exploiting the limited presence of forest department personnel in the area.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO-South Shahdol) Shraddha Pandre explained, “The incidents occurred on 11 February evening, about 8–10 km from the Son River, during our patrol as part of the state-wide Operation Wild Trap-II campaign to curb forest and wildlife crimes. The coal mafia first attacked villagers, seized a tractor and, when our team led by Ranger Vishwakarma arrived, assaulted and threatened him at gunpoint. Despite timely reporting to Sohagpur police, the FIR was delayed by nearly 24 hours.”
While the arrest of the three main accused has provided some relief, Pandre added that the morale of forest personnel would have been higher had the police acted more swiftly.
Betan Singh, one of the arrested, is reportedly involved in multiple previous cases related to illegal mining, associated crimes and wildlife offences, including prior attacks on forest department teams. Pandre emphasised that unless strict legal action is taken against such elements, forest personnel will continue to face risks in the field, hampering operations like Operation Wild Trap-II.