Chhattisgarh’s administrative machinery faces intense scrutiny following the death of a 62-year-old tribal man at the hands of SDM Karun Kumar Dahariya’s enforcers during a nocturnal mining check in Balrampur. The arrests signal a crackdown, but public wrath demands more.
Deep in Kusmi block’s Hanspur village, Sunday’s 2 AM operation targeted alleged illegal bauxite hauling. SDM Dahariya’s squad, including Naib Tehsildar Paras Sharma, rolled in via Thar amid loaded truck suspicions.
Fate struck Ramnresh Ram, Ajit Umrao, and Akash Agariya en route from wheat irrigation. Halted without cause, the trio faced unrelenting stick assaults. Rushed to medical care, Ramnresh was pronounced dead; the others fight for life.
Akash’s account: ‘Post-field chores, we met 8-9 men on the path. Brutal lathi blows rained down wordlessly. Their govt-marked white Bolero and black Thar left no doubt.’
Monday saw explosive protests at Kusmi Shiv Chowk—chakka jam, SDM condemnations, pleas for accused homes’ razing, crore compensation, and family job placement.
Former Congressman MLA Maheshwar rallied: ‘Blame lies with SDM-orchestrated violence against innocents. Deliver justice or face unrest.’ Somanath Bhagat branded the officer a ‘habitual bully.’
No stranger to strife post-Kusmi tenure, Dahariya joined Vicky Singh, Sudeep Yadav, and Manjeet Yadav behind bars under murder FIR. As tensions linger and inquiries proceed, this episode spotlights mining conflicts’ perils, pressing for empowered oversight to avert future tragedies in tribal heartlands.