BALASORE: Sand mafia launched a brutal attack on Balasore sub-collector Kunal Sitaram Chouhan and his driver in Sahadevkhunta area here on Friday. The incident took place at around 2.30 pm. Sources said Chouhan was on way to Balasore from Fuladi in his vehicle when he spotted a sand-laden tractor parked on the road near Dahapada. He got down from his vehicle and was checking the documents of the tractor when a group of around 12 miscreants attacked him. The IAS officer’s driver Gagan Bihari Pradhan tried to intervene but he too was assaulted.
The miscreants also pelted stones at Chouhan’s vehicle and damaged its rear windshield and side window glass. Both the sub-collector and his driver sustained injuries in the attack. On being informed, police reached the spot and rushed Chouhan and Pradhan to Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital (MCH). Later in the day, Balasore collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde and SP Sagarika Nath visited the MCH and met the injured officer and his driver.
Shinde said on receiving allegations about illegal lifting of sand from the bed of Budhabalanga river, a team of revenue officials conducted raids in Mandarpur and Dahapada areas on Thursday night. During the raid, sand-laden tractors and excavators used in illegal sand mining were seized. On Friday, the sub-collector and a team of officials were on way to calculate the value of the seized items for auction when they came under attack from the sand mafia and their supporters at Dahapada.
IG, Eastern Range Himanshu Lal said police have arrested two persons involved in the attack. The rest accused will be nabbed soon. SP Nath said several police teams have been formed to arrest the miscreants. Two platoons of police force have been deployed in the area and further investigation is underway.
Notably in July last year, the revenue inspector (RI) of Sajanagard circle in Nilagiri tehsil was assaulted by stone mafia in Swarnachud reserve forest when he tried to record the activities at an illegally-operating quarry on his cellphone.