Yavatmal revenue dept staffers stage dharna, demand security

Yavatmal: Revenue department staffers from all 16 tehsils in the district staged daylong dharna in front of the district collector’s office here on Wednesday to protest murderous attack on naib tehsildar Vaibhav Pawar and talathi Gajanan Surose on Umarkhed-Dhanki road on January 23.
The agitators have demanded immediate arrest of the alleged sand smuggler kingpin Avinash Chavan and his supporters, vehicle owner and drivers involved in the attack on the revenue officials when they tried to stop sand being smuggled.
Prominent among those who addressed the staffers included resident district collector Lalitkumar Warhade, sub-divisional officer Aniruddha Bakshi, Yavatmal tehsildar Kunal Zalte and others.
Members of the Drivers’ Union, led by president Ajay Mishra, also staged dharna demanding arrest of the culprits.
Kunal Zalte of Tehsildar and Naib Tehsildar Sanghatana has warned the government of intensifying the agitation if the demands for police protection and weapons for personal security are not met.
Without police protection and weapons for security, officers and employees won’t attend duty related to the prevention of sand excavation and its illegal transportation by sand mafias, said Zalte.