MP minister denies role in forest office incident, seeks probe

Madhya Pradesh minister UshaThakur on Wednesday blamed ''wrong videos'' posted by a formerCongress MLA for an incident where she was accused of leadinga group of supporters who allegedly took away an earth-movingmachine and a tractor-trolley from forest department premises.

Thakur, who holds culture and tourism portfolios,claimed she has no role in the alleged incident and demandedthat the forest minister order a probe into the entireepisode.

Range assistant Ramsuresh Dubey has alleged that theminister had led the group which forcibly took away themachine and the tractor-trolley, which were seized by theforest department after they were used in excavation work in aprotected area.

The BJP minister accused former Congress MLA AntarSingh Darbar of dragging her name in the incident which tookplace on Sunday evening in the forest department officepremises at Badgonda in Indore district.

''I am in Kerala and came to know about the incidentthrough the media. I had gone to Ambedkar mandal to inauguratedevelopment works worth crores and came to know that people inRunda village near the Choral dam were facing some problem,''Thakur said in a video statement.

They were facing problem because about 50-metrestretch of an approach road towards their village was in a badshape due to large pits on it,'' Thakur said.

Looking at this, (BJP) Mandal president Manoj Patidarexcavated soil from his own farm and was filling the pits whena forest department team arrived there and seized theequipment that was being used.

After my programme, I was returning through that areabut former Mhow MLA Antar Singh Darbar has posted wrong videoson social media on which I have approached the forest ministerand sought a thorough inquiry by a senior officer,'' she said.

Badgonda police station in-charge Ajit Singh Bais,when contacted, said he had not received any complaint so far.

Meanwhile, Additional Principal Chief Conservator ofForest (APCCF) Mahendra Singh Dhakad reached Mhow after thecontroversy to take stock of the situation at the site wherealleged excavation work was taking place.

Dhakad first reached the place on Mhow-Choral dam roadwhere alleged excavation was going on and equipment wereseized by the forest department and recorded the statement ofDubey.

Around the same time, a group of BJP workers reachedthe site and handed over a memorandum to Dhakad, in which theydefended their leaders Manoj Patidar and others over theallegations levelled by Dubey.

Dhakad assured them that a fair inquiry will beconducted in the matter.

Later, Dhakad told reporters I have inspected theland on which excavation was done. I have directed officersconcerned to write to the collector for demarcation of land inthat area so that it could be ascertained whether the land inquestion belongs to the forest or revenue department.'' ''Once that becomes clear, the future course of actionwill be planned,'' he said.

On Tuesday, Dubey had alleged that Thakur along withnearly 20 supporters barged into the forest office premisesat Badgonda forcibly took away the machine and the tractor-trolley seized over digging work in the protected area.

Badgonda is the part of the Mhow assembly seatrepresented by Thakur.