Odisha Collector Booked For Seeking Rs 25 Lakh Financial Favour From Mine Owner

Bhubaneswar: Following a Orissa High Court directive, Chandpur police have booked Nayagarh Collector Rabindra Nath Sahu and three others for allegedly seeking financial favour of Rs 25 lakh from a laterite stone mine owner under Ranpur tehsil.

The other three persons have been identified as Dillip Kumar Samantaray from Bajrakote, Deepak Kumar Routray from Ostapada village and Ganeswar Mandhata from Champagada village.

The case was registered under Sections 294 (obscene acts or words), 506 (criminal intimidation), 385 (causing fear or injury to commit extortion), 167 (public servant framing an incorrect document with intent to cause injury) and 34 (criminal act done by several persons with common intention) of IPC, among others, on the basis of a complaint lodged 35-year-old mine owner Sushant Kumar Barad of Champagada on April 11.

“An investigation into the allegation is currently underway. We can divulge more information about the incident only after completing the probe,” said Chandpur police station IIC Mukesh Behera

The complainant alleged that the collector and the three others visited Mayurjhalia laterite stone mine area around 3 pm on January 26 and asked for a bribe to the tune of Rs 25 lakh. Dillip, Deepak and Ganeswar abused Barad and threatened him with dire consequences if he did not cough up the amount.

Following the incident, Barad lodged FIR with Chandpur police and then sought Nayagarh SP Alekha Chandra Pahi’s intervention when local police allegedly refused to take up his case. When no action was taken, he moved the High Court.

The collector, however, has refuted the allegations. “NGT had slapped a fine of Rs 2.81 crore on the mining lease holder following a survey. Section 144 was also clamped in the mining area. The allegation has been brought to divert attention from those incidents. I did not go to the spot on January 26, as I was busy with Republic Day programmes,” said Sahu.