Forest team gheraoed, earthmover torched during anti-encroachment drive in Bihar's West Champaran

Bettiah (Bihar), Jul 9 (PTI) Villagers gheraoed a Forest Department team, set ablaze an earthmover and damaged another such vehicle during an anti-encroachment drive in Bihar's West Champaran district on Thursday, police said. The incident took place in Tharhi village in Valmiki Nagar police station area when forest officials launched a drive to clear encroachments from forest land. Villagers claimed they had been cultivating the land for the past 20-25 years and had not been informed about the anti-encroachment drive in advance, Valmiki Nagar police station SHO Manoj Kumar told PTI. Tension escalated after standing sugarcane crop on the land was allegedly damaged during the drive, leading to an altercation between the villagers and forest officials, he added. "Around 7.45 am, we received information from the local ranger that villagers had surrounded the forest department team. A police team rushed to the spot. SSB personnel also reached there. During the commotion, some unidentified person allegedly set ablaze an earthmover on fire, while the glass window of another such vehicle was broken," Kumar said. "No injuries were reported, and we haven't received any formal complaint. No FIR has been lodged consequently," he added. The SHO said the forest department had not informed the local police in advance about the drive. "We are trying to identify and trace the person who set the earthmover on fire," he added. PTI SUK ACD