Akhilesh Yadav may face CBI heat in illegal sand mining case

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav seems to be heading for trouble ahead of Lok Sabha polls as the CBI plans to examine him in connection with a case of illegal sand mining dating back to 2012-13 when he held the additional portfolio of mining in Uttar Pradesh.

On Saturday the investigating agency conducted raids at 14 places in Uttar Pradesh, including Jalaun, Hamirpur, Noida, Lucknow and Kanpur, and Delhi as part of the probe. CBI sources hinted that they may question Akhilesh Yadav and all his former ministers, including former mining minister Gayatri Prasad Prajap-ati who was also arrested in 2017 following a complaint of rape by a woman residing in Chitrakoot.

In the afternoon, the Central investigative agency also conducted raids on the premises of IAS officers and former Hamirpur district magistrate B. Chandrakala. She had come into the limelight, particularly on social media, in connection with her anti-corruption campaigns which earned her the title of “Lady Dabang” — a reference made to an honest cop’s role essayed by filmstar Salman Khan in his film Daabang.

The CBI initiated investigations into the sand mining scam following a directive from the Allahabad high court and filed seven preliminary inquiries in 2016.

The raids came a day after Akhilesh Yadav met BSP supremo Mayawati in Delhi on Friday where the two are believed to have finalised the seat sharing arrangements for the Lok Sabha elections.

The CBI has lodged an FIR in the land mining case against 11 individuals, including government employees and Samajwadi Party leaders.

It is alleged that public servants allowed illegal mining during 2012-16 and illegally renewed licences despite a ban by National Green Tribunal. It is suspected that officials allegedly backed theft of minerals and extortion of money from lease holders.