OC suspended for colluding with smugglers

HAZARIBAG: The officer in charge of Keredari police station, Rajiv Ranjan, was supended on charges of assisting illegal coal mining in the dense forests of the district on Sunday.
Hazaribag SP Manoj Kaushik said despite repeated warnings Ranjan leaked information of raids to the coal mafia of the region. "He had also helped smugglers escape with vehicles in the dead of night," added Kaushik.
Villagers of Jordag forest under Keredari police station had alerted the OC about the rampant tree felling and illegal mining in the area several times. But instead of taking action, the OC rebuked the villagers and sent them home. The disappointed villagers then met the Hazaribag SP at his office and submitted a written complaint against Ranjan for encouraging illegal mining in the area.
The SP ordered Awadhesh Kumar Singh, inspector of police of Barkagaon Circle, to inquire into the complaints of the villagers and submit a report to him within 48 hours.
After inquiry, Singh found that the allegations against Ranjan were true. "A section of CCL and forest department authorities are hands-in-glove with the coal smugglers," said sources..