Raurkela: The Forest Department on Saturday demolished an alleged illegal office of suspended youth BJP leader Prakash Paswan on Durgapur Hill here, citing encroachment on forest land. The demolition was carried out in the presence of a magistrate, senior police officials and Forest Department personnel.
The action comes days after Paswan was arrested by Raurkela Police from Samastipur in Bihar on August 27 in connection with the August 15 Circuit House incident, in which two armed criminals were arrested from the government-managed facility.
Forest officials said the structure on Durgapur Hill was located inside the Durgapur Reserve Forest and was found to have exceeded the area for which permission had been granted.
Raurkela ACF Gajendra Pal Singh Mathur said the department had issued a notice after receiving information about the alleged encroachment.
“No one came forward to stake a claim or respond to the notice by August 31. Following the direction of the Raurkela DFO, the structure was demolished today,” he said.
The demolition was conducted in the presence of a magistrate, five IICs, the Panposh SDPO and staff of the Raurkela Forest Division, officials said.
The Forest Department also seized documents and other articles found at the site and prepared a seizure list, Mathur said.
According to the ACF, permission had been granted in 2023 for construction over 0.01 decimal of land adjoining the structure. However, the construction was allegedly extended to 0.015 decimal, with the additional portion being treated as an illegal encroachment.
“It was not an office. It was an illegal encroachment in our Durgapur Reserve Forest,” Mathur said.
Paswan (35) is currently lodged in jail in connection with the August 15 Circuit House case. He had allegedly gone into hiding after police arrested two criminals along with firearms and live ammunition from the Circuit House in the early hours of August 15.
Police have accused Paswan of allegedly sheltering the armed criminals at the Circuit House and described him as the alleged mastermind in the case.
The administration had earlier sealed another office allegedly belonging to Paswan.
