Udupi: A year after a team of officials, led by Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis, was blocked and assaulted by a group of 50 people when the team paid a surprise visit to a sand extraction site at Kandlur village near Kundapur on April 2, 2017, the chargesheet in the case is being scrutinised.

Ms. Francis decided to do surprise inspection of sand extraction sites following complaints of illegal extraction being done there. Ms. Francis and Assistant Commissioner Shilpa Nag had gone in two private cars to conduct a surprise inspection. Prithivraj, Ms. Francis’s gunman; Kantharaj, village accountant from Ampar village; and Ms. Nag’s husband Shankar, were with them, along with the two car drivers.

Ms. Francis’s team had gone without informing other officers because of complaints that the illegal sand extractors always were tipped off. The team had first raided a sand extraction site at Halnadu village at around 11 p.m., took six people into custody for illegal sand extraction, seized two mobile telephone sets and the keys of two vehicles, and handed them over to the Kundapur police station.

But it was when the team reached the sand extraction site on the Varahi at Kandlur at around 12.15 a.m. on April 2, 2017, that the problem began. On Ms. Francis’s instruction, Mr. Kantharaj, Mr. Prithiviraj and Ms. Nag’s driver chased one of the extractors, who ran into one of the sheds there. Though they caught hold of the extractor, a group of around 50 from the shed followed them.

This group used abusive language, pushed around and blocked the cars of team. The extractor escaped. Ms. Francis’s team somehow managed to escape from the place with the help of locals. In the confusion, Mr. Kantharaj was left behind and was assaulted by the group. The police later rescued him.

Seven were arrested on the same day and a case of attempt to murder and deterring a public servant from discharge of duty was booked. There were protests by various organisations here following this incident.

Shanthi Bai, Principal Public Prosecutor, told on Monday that the chargesheet in the case was being scrutinised.