In Chhattisgarh, authorities demolished an illegal shop linked to the brother of a BJP leader arrested for opium cultivation, signalling a crackdown on illegal activities and land encroachment.
Authorities in Chhattisgarh's Durg district on Tuesday carried out an anti-encroachment drive in Samoda village, as part of which they demolished an "illegally constructed" shop belonging to the brother of suspended BJP leader, who has been arrested in connection with opium cultivation, officials said.
Vijay Tamrakar, a BJP Kisan Morcha leader, was arrested along with two others on March 7 after opium worth Rs 8 crore was found cultivated in a maize field.
His Brijesh Tamrakar had been operating a shop on around 32 decimals of government land in Samoda, said Additional Tehsildar Kshama Yadav, who led the operation conducted by a joint team of revenue and police departments, and removed the illegal construction using a bulldozer.
A local court had earlier issued an eviction order, but the encroachment remained in place for a long time. Local residents and the village head had repeatedly lodged complaints with the administration regarding the illegal occupation.
Following the issuance of an eviction warrant by the district administration, the revenue team finally carried out the demolition drive and razed the structure.
A large police force was deployed during the operation. As the bulldozer action began, a large number of villagers gathered at the site to witness the proceedings.
Officials said the administration will continue strict action against illegal encroachments on government land in the district.
Opposition Congress has slammed the state government over opium cultivation.