Dumka: A team of forest officials faced resistance from locals when they reached the house of Vivekananda Raut, former personal secretary to former chief minister Shibu Soren, to arrest his nephew in an ongoing case on Saturday. The accused, however, was not in the house during the raid.The team arrived at Raut’s Mahua Dangal locality around 8 am to arrest his nephew Pankaj, who is the co-owner of Lalji Patel & Company which owns a sawmill. On June 13 last year, Pankaj and his associate Jaipal Raut allegedly obstructed a team of forest officials from inspecting the sawmill premises. The mill was reportedly found operating despite the department’s order to shut down. A chargesheet was filed against Pankaj and Jaipal.Locals gathered outside Raut’s home and protested as the team, led by trainee India Forest Service officer Pushkar Kale and assisted by district police, tried to enter the premises on Saturday. Dumka Zila Parishad member Chinta Devi also joined the protest as locals blocked the main gate and asked the officers to disclose the purpose of their visit. The officers tried to enter the house by breaking open the lock but were stopped by the crowd.After nearly 90 minutes of discussions, Kale, accompanied by his security personnel and a woman police officer, entered the house and conducted a search lasting 10 minutes. As he came out, locals surrounded him and sought an explanation. “Nothing was found inside,” Kale told those gathered.Dumka divisional forest officer Satvik Vyas said, “The team visited to arrest Pankaj, but he was not present. Raut, however, was not an accused in the case.”
Locals gather outside Vivekananda Raut’s home in Dumka on Saturday
