Chhattisgarh SDM Booked For Murder in Illegal Bauxite Mining Crackdown Assault

A murder case has been registered against four people, including Kusmi SDM Karun Kumar Dahariya, after a 62-year-old tribal villager died during an alleged late-night assault by a revenue team probing illegal mining in the area, police said.

The incident occurred in Hanspur village when the team arrived to investigate suspected illegal bauxite mining. Eyewitnesses claimed that three villagers—Ramnaresh Ram, Ajit Oraon and Akash Agariya—were returning home after irrigating their wheat fields when they were stopped near Sarna and allegedly beaten by officials and others accompanying them.

According to the injured, eight to nine people travelling in a white Bolero marked “Chhattisgarh Government SDM” and a black Mahindra Thar assaulted them with sticks without proper questioning. Ajit Oraon said he lost consciousness during the attack, while Ramnaresh Ram’s condition deteriorated on the way to hospital, and he was declared dead at the Kusmi Community Health Centre. Akash Agariya and Oraon are currently recovering.

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Police said the case was registered based on eyewitness statements, spot inspection, the panchnama and postmortem findings. Along with Dahariya, the accused — Vicky Singh, alias Ajay Pratap Singh, Manjeet Kumar Yadav and Sudip Yadav — have been arrested and produced in court. Balrampur SP Vaibhav Banker confirmed that legal proceedings are underway.

The death has triggered protests in Kusmi, with villagers blocking roads and demanding strict action, ₹1 crore compensation for the victim’s family and a government job for a relative. Responding to the outrage, Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai said an investigation is in progress and assured that anyone found guilty “will face strict action".

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