Raipur, March 7 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has suspended its leader Vinayak Tamrakar after allegations surfaced that he was involved in illegal opium cultivation in Chhattisgarh's Durg district, police said.

A joint team of police and the local administration conducted a raid at a farmhouse in a rural area of the district following information about illegal opium cultivation.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Durg Superintendent of Police Vijay Agarwal said.

"We have arrested three people, including Tamrakar, and produced them in court. Further investigation in the case is underway," Agarwal added.

Tamrakar, however, has denied the allegations, cla...