Bhubaneswar, Sep 5: The Forest Department on Saturday demolished an alleged illegal office of suspended youth BJP leader Prakash Paswan on Durgapur Hill, citing encroachment on forest land. The demolition was carried out in the presence of a magistrate, senior police officials and personnel of the Rourkela Forest Division.

The action comes days after Paswan was arrested by Rourkela Police from Samastipur in Bihar on August 27 in connection with the August 15 Circuit House incident, during which two armed criminals were arrested from the government-managed facility.

Forest officials said the structure was located within the Durgapur Reserve Forest and had allegedly exceeded the area for which permission had been granted.

Rourkela ACF Gajendra Pal Singh Mathur said the department had issued a notice after receiving information about the alleged encroachment. As no one came forward to claim the property or respond to the notice by August 31, the structure was demolished following the direction of the Rourkela DFO.

The operation was conducted in the presence of a magistrate, five IICs, the Panposh SDPO and forest officials. Documents and other articles found at the site were also seized and listed.

Mathur said permission granted in 2023 covered 0.01 decimal of land, but construction allegedly extended to 0.015 decimal, with the additional portion treated as illegal encroachment.

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