Minister flags police negligence over land, road encroachment in Bettiah

Bettiah: Narayan Prasad, minister of disaster management and MLA from Nautan assembly constituency, has accused the police of negligence and colluding with land mafia in West Champaran.The minister alleged on Sunday that he repeatedly called the SHO of Muffasil police station in Bettiah to inform him about encroachment of a road by land mafia in Hardiya, but he did not take cognizance of it. He further said that he had even met the SHO about this, but he did not arrive at the place.“When the SHO did not listen, then I informed the DSP and SP. I even asked the SP if there was anything like law and order. The SHO then called and inquired about the matter and arrived at the place,” he said.The minister said on Dec 28, a land mafia encroached upon one Prahlad Mukhiya’s land (plot no. 871 and khata no. 5) and a govt road. “I informed the police administration about this. However, the police arrived four hours later; by then, the mafia had already constructed a boundary wall around the land. Subsequently, on Jan 2, the land mafia was working on the land. When my driver, Ashish Kumar, arrived, he was assaulted and injured. I also informed the Bettiah SP and DSP about this incident,” he said.The minister further said Prahlad had filed an application with the Mufussil police station, but no FIR was filed.“When I spoke to the SP and DSP, the Mufussil police station filed an FIR against the encroacher, Shatrughan. This clearly shows that the police are colluding with the land mafia. I will raise questions about this in the assembly and complain to deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha and the Bihar DGP in writing,” he said.Bettiah circle officer, Amarendra Kumar, said SDM Bettiah and other officials inspected the disputed land. "As per orders from senior officials, the land will be measured and demarcated. If encroachment is found on the land, it will be vacated," he said.