Ranpur: Separate teams of Ranpur tehsil officials faced deadly attacks on Wednesday night made by local mining mafias while carrying out simultaneous raids on different illegal laterite stone mines under this tehsil and Chandpur police limit in Nayagarh district, a source said today.
According to the official source, three teams led by tehsildar Robin Churchill Mishra conducted raids on several laterite stone mines in Ranpur, when the illegal mining activity was underway.
One of the teams raided a mine in Bokakhai under Mayurajhalia police limits in the district.
The mining mafias attacked four members including the Jhadapada Revenue Inspector (RI) Ramakanta Behera, Raipada RI Rakesh Ranjan Sethy, Chandpur RI Saroj Kumar Sahoo and Rajsunakhala RI Sukanta Majhi. About 20 to 25 persons together attacked the raid team leaving them injured.
On being informed, tehsildar Mishra with the help of Chandpur police immediately reached the spot and rescued the revenue officials. The four injured were admitted to the hospital for treatment.
RI Behera sustained severe injuries in the incident and was shifted from a hospital in Chandpur to a health facility in Bhubaneswar as his health condition deteriorated. His condition is critical now.
Tehsildar Mishra lodged an FIR with police in this regard but no action has been taken yet.
