Kolkata, The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday questioned IAS officer Ansar Shaikh in connection with its probe into supposed unlawful sand mining and trafficking from riverbeds in West Bengal’s Jhargram district and adjacent locations, authorities stated.
< source media ="(min-width:768px)" alt ="West Bengal: ED quizzes IAS officer in illegal sand mining case" > < img src ="https://www.hindustantimes.com/ht-img/img/2026/01/27/400x225/ht-generic_cities1_1769511807303_1769511865290.jpg"alt ="West Bengal: ED quizzes IAS officer in illegal sand mining case"title ="West Bengal: ED quizzes IAS officer in illegal sand mining case"width ="360"height ="202"loading ="eager">The examination likewise includes thought monetary abnormalities connected to deals worth a number of crores of rupees, they stated.
Shaikh, a 2016-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, appeared before ED authorities at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake in the early morning in action to the company’s 2nd summons, they stated.
He was being questioned till the filing of this report.
Massive prohibited extraction of sand presumably occurred in Jhargram throughout the duration when Shaikh was published there as extra district magistrate.
Currently published as an ADM in Malda district, Shaikh had actually drawn nationwide attention after turning into one of the nation’s youngest IAS officers by clearing the UPSC civil services assessment at 21 on his very first effort.
The supposed prohibited mining activities are stated to have actually happened along the Subarnarekha, Kangsabati and Dulung rivers.
The problem has actually long been raised by the challengers of the then TMC federal government, who declared that widespread prohibited sand extraction triggered ecological damage and significant income loss to the state exchequer.
Private investigators believe that an area of authorities disregarded to unlawful extraction of sand from riverbeds without legitimate licences or in offense of mining standards.
“Illegal lifting and smuggling of sand from riverbeds continued unabated during that period. We are examining the administrative role and possible lapses,” an ED authorities informed PTI.
The firm is likewise scrutinising main records associated with the duration under examination.
“Sheikh is being questioned to ascertain the chain of approvals, monitoring mechanisms, and whether there was any administrative negligence or complicity,” another ED authorities stated.
Previously, the ED had actually questioned previous Jhargram district magistrate Sunil Agarwal in connection with the case, authorities stated.
The firm had actually likewise jailed Arun Saraf, promoter of GD Mining Private Limited, in November in 2015 on charges connected to the supposed theft and unlawful sale of sand and its transport utilizing created e-challans, they stated.
This short article was created from an automated news firm feed without adjustments to text.