In the backdrop of recent murder of an IPS officer, allegedly by a mining mafia member in Madhya Pradesh, a woman revenue officer escaped from meeting a similar fate by a whisker when she tried to put a leash on illegal excavation of stones at Kusumania village in the district, officials said on Thursday.
The suspected mining mafia member, who tried to mow down Meena Pal, posted as Tehsildar at Kannod, when she was inspecting the illegal mining of stones at the site on Wednesday, is local BJP leader Dhara Singh Patel, they said.
When contacted Patel said that though the construction of godown was going on at the site in his name he had handed over the contract to his friend Ramesh Verma.
Patel denied that any attempt was made to run over the tehsildar and alleged that in fact the officials beat up the JCB driver and other persons present at the spot.
Following a complaint from the lady officer, police have registered cases against Patel, who also runs Maruti Construction Company at Ashta town, Yadav and five others.
Police have also seized five tractor-trolleys laden with the earthen material and boulders from the spot.
According to officials, Pal, along with the team of officials, rushed to the village on receipt of information regarding illegal mining activity.
When she was inspecting the site, a JCB machine operator, identified as Narendra Yadav, suddenly started moving the heavy machine towards Pal forcing her to jump to other side to save herself.
The earthen material was being extracted from a land that was reserved for grazing purpose in the revenue records and for construction of a godown for storing grain by the firm of the BJP leader.
Dewas Collector Mukesh Chandra Gupta said that stern action will be taken against the illegal miners and is also probing whether an attempt was made to run over the tehsildar.
Meanwhile, reacting to the development, the state unit Congress president Kantilal Bhuria and the Opposition Leader Ajay Singh said that the Dewas incident is an another instance of the government not having any control over the thriving mining mafia in the state.