The younger brother of Pratima Bagri, a minister in the Madhya Pradesh government, has been arrested for alleged ganja smuggling, police said on Tuesday.
The Congress targeted the BJP government over the issue and shared a video on X where Bagri, Minister of State for Urban Development and Housing, was heard asking a reporter "why do you talk about unnecessary things" when he asked about the arrest.
Acting on a tip-off, Rampur Baghelan police in the district recovered packets of 46 kg of ganja, valued at Rs 9,22,680, from rice sacks stored in a tin shed in front of the house of Pankaj Singh Baghel, a resident of Maroha, early Monday morning.
Baghel allegedly claimed that Anil Bagri, Pratima Bagri's brother, and one Shailendra Singh had supplied him with the ganja, said Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Premlal Kurve.
Based on his information, Anil Bagri was also arrested and the vehicle used to deliver ganja was seized, the official said, adding that a case was registered against the accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The other accused is absconding, the official said.
Police sources said that Shailendra Singh Semmu, the minister's brother-in-law, had been arrested on December 3 by Naraini police and 10.4 kg of ganja was seized.
Police are trying to find out who is supplying ganja and for whom it is intended, said a senior police official.
State Congress president Jitu Patwari, in a post on 'X', said not criminals but relatives of BJP leaders are being arrested under the BJP rule.
"Is accountability so complex that links to ganja smuggling continue to emerge from a minister's home, while the Madhya Pradesh Home Minister remains silent? Is the "double engine" now also a transport model for drug trafficking?" he asked Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also holds the Home Department The state Congress in a separate post mentioned the arrests, and said they showed how relatives of ministers were carrying out nefarious activities.
It is not a "drug network" but a "BJP-related network" that is active in Madhya Pradesh, the opposition party said.
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