Nagpur: Sand Mafia Drags Revenue Officer for 4 km With JCB in Kuhi; Congress Questions Law and Order Situation

A revenue officer, also known as a Naib Tehsildar, was dragged by a JCB for nearly 4 km during a raid in Nagpur's Kuhi tehsil on Tuesday night, May 5. The incident took place in Bori Naik village under Kuhi tehsil, where revenue officials and police raided an illegal mining operation after receiving information about the activity.

According to reports, the Naib Tehsildar risked his life by hanging onto the JCB as the driver allegedly refused to stop and attempted to throw him off. The government officials were trying to stop the vehicle during the operation.

Naib Tehsildar Buddhabhushan Nikalje, along with Village Revenue Officer Mohan Pawar, Anand Maske, Revenue Assistant Nilesh Tirpude and personnel from Veltur Police Station, rushed to the spot after receiving a tip-off about illegal excavation being carried out under the cover of darkness.

As the team reached the site and blocked the routes to prevent the accused from escaping, the driver of the JCB bearing registration number MH40/CQ-2388 allegedly suddenly increased the speed of the machine and attempted to flee.

Despite repeated signals and warnings from police and revenue officials, the driver allegedly continued to speed away. The Naib Tehsildar reportedly caught hold of the moving JCB in an attempt to stop the accused from escaping. For nearly 4 km, the officer hung onto the machine as it was driven on rough roads. The driver also allegedly attempted to ram the JCB into a roadside tree in an effort to throw the officer off.

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The situation became more dangerous when another accused, driving a tractor allegedly involved in the illegal excavation operation, reportedly attempted to crush the officer. However, Nikalje narrowly escaped by jumping aside.

Despite suffering minor injuries and having his shirt torn during the struggle, the officer reportedly refused to back down. He also managed to record a video of the incident, which has been handed over to police as evidence.

As the chase unfolded, police teams tightened the cordon around the area and blocked all possible escape routes. The excavator driver, identified as Mayur Thote, was eventually overpowered and arrested on the spot. Two tractor owners allegedly linked to the illegal excavation racket were also taken into custody.

Reacting to the incident, former Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole questioned the law and order situation in the state.

“The incident occurred in the district of the state's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule itself, which clearly shows how much the law and order situation in the state has deteriorated,” Patole said.

नागपूर जिल्ह्यातील कुही तालुक्यात अवैध मुरूम उत्खननाविरोधात कारवाईसाठी गेलेल्या नायब तहसीलदारांना जेसीबीला लटकवून चार किलोमीटर फरफटत नेल्याची घटना अत्यंत संतापजनक आहे. राज्याचे मुख्यमंत्री देवेंद्र फडणवीस आणि महसूल मंत्री चंद्रशेखर बावनकुळे यांच्या जिल्ह्यातच ही घटना घडली आहे,… pic.twitter.com/GTddtsdkoX

— Nana Patole (@NANA_PATOLE) May 7, 2026

“The empire of sand and murum mafias has strengthened across the state, including Nagpur. With the government's blessings, they no longer fear the law or the administration. If even administrative officers are not safe in the state, then where should ordinary citizens go? Devendra Fadnavis should take strict action against these sand and murum mafias and rein them in,” Patole said in a post on X.