Durg, March 10 Authorities in the Durg district of Chhattisgarh carried out an anti-encroachment drive in the Samoda village on Tuesday, during which they demolished a shop that had been "illegally constructed" belonging to the brother of a suspended BJP leader, who has been arrested in connection with opium cultivation, officials said.
Vijay Tamrakar, a leader of the BJP Kisan Morcha, was arrested along with two others on March 7 after opium worth Rs 8 crore was found to be cultivated in a maize field.
His brother, Brijesh Tamrakar, had been operating a shop on approximately 32 decimal 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 used a bulldozer to remove the illegal construction.
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 that the administration will continue to take strict action against illegal encroachments on government land in the district.
The opposition Congress has criticized the state government over opium cultivation.