Reports from Sasaram said that two quarrying units were demolished and two persons arrested after an FIR was lodged against 11 people, including Singh, for illegal mining. Two units owned by Singh were found to be running without valid papers.

However, the former BJP chief said he would file a defamation case against the officials for dragging his name into illegal mining. “This is an attempt to malign my image,” he was quoted in the media. It needs to be mentioned that chief minister Nitish Kumar is to undertake Sewa Yatra in Rohtas in December and political observers see it in that context.

Singh, however, said his two crushing units have not been working for the last one year. He had filed an appeal in the court of the divisional commissioner as he had to incur losses due to negligence on part of the officials of the mines and forests department. The appeal is still pending.

Singh said he could not remove the equipment from the site because the appeal was pending.

But Rohtas district magistrate Anupam Kumar, who led the raiding team on Thursday, said whosoever they might be, action would be taken against all accused as all were equal in the eyes of law and nobody would be allowed to commit any offence.

Reports said that the administration seized about 70 illegal stone crushers and heavy consignments of stones.

This is the first major action in recent years against illegal mining.

Assistant Commissioner, Commercial Taxes, Uday Singh, who was also in the raiding party said heavy penalty would be imposed on those who had not paid taxes.

Sources said the stone crusher units were not licensed to make explosions for extracting stones from the hills and only manual quarrying was allowed. But explosives are used in the area for mining.

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