Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 19: Bringing alive the horrors of mining mafia, a senior police officer of Haryana was on Tuesday run over by a dumper truck carrying stones mined illegally in Nuh.
While the chief minister ML Khattar announced a compensation of Rs one crore to the next of kin of the deceased district superintendent of police Surendra Singh Bishnoi and a government job for one of the family members, the home minister Anil Vij promised an intensive effort to catch all the perpetrators of one of the most horrifying incident of killing a police officer on duty and ensure maximum punishment for the guilty.
According to the Haryana police, Bishnoi had received information that stones were being illegally mined at Pachgaon near the Aravalli mountain range around 11.30 A.M. and immediately rushed to the spot only with a gunman and his driver.
On spotting the police personnel, those involved in the illegal mining started fleeing the spot. The senior officer stood in the way and signalled the stone-laden vehicles to stop. But the driver of one of the stone-laden trucks suddenly started the engine of the truck and ran towards the DSP’s team. As Bishnoi stood his ground signalling the trucks to stop, the driver ran over him and along with others fled from the spot. The gunman and the driver escaped narrowly jumping aside but the senior officer came under its wheels.
He was rushed to hospital where doctors declared him dead, police said. The police said Bishnoi was crushed underneath the dumper and succumbed to injuries. ADG Ravi Kiran, IGP south range, however, said Bishnoi had come for a surprise inspection based on a tip-off and didn’t come with backup force as he may not have found time for it. A Nuh police official said a search operation was underway to apprehend the accused.
“Tauru (Mewat) DSP Surendra Singh Bishnoi, who had gone to investigate an instance of illegal mining in Nuh, died after being run over by a dumper driver. A search operation is underway to apprehend the accused. More details are awaited,” said a Nuh police official.
Following the incident, senior police officials, including Nuh Superintendent of Police Varun Singla, reached the spot.
One of the accused has been arrested after he got injured in an encounter with the police. A search operation has been launched to arrest the remaining accused. In a condolence message put out by its official Twitter handle, Haryana police said “no effort shall be spared in bringing the offenders to face justice.” “DSP Tauru Sh Surender Singh laid down his life today in the course of duty. #HaryanaPolice extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved family of the brave officer. No effort shall be spared in bringing the offenders to face justice,” the tweet read.
The Chief Minister Khattar assured strict action against those involved and expressed condolences and also announced ₹ one crore compensation for the family of the police officer. “Our condolences go out to bereaved family. A total of ₹ 1 crore would be provided in compensation to the kin of the martyred police officer. We would also provide a job to one of his family members,” announced Khattar.
The Home Minister said the mining mafia would not be spared. “We will take strict action. No one will be spared,” he said. The BJP MP from Hisar Brijendra Singh condemned the killing and said the state government should take strict action. “The killing of a senior police officer in such a manner is not at all acceptable. The state government should take immediate action to send a loud and clear message to the criminal elements in the state,” he told reporters outside parliament. The deceased officer hailed from Hisar.
According to the Economic Survey of Haryana for 2021-22, tabled before the Assembly on March 8, a total of 21,450 illegal mining cases were detected in the state, including transportation of minerals without valid documents, from 2014-15 up to September 2021. Despite a Supreme Court ban order dating back to 2009, mining has continued unabated at several places in the Aravalli region.
A group of citizens, named Aravalli Bachao Citizens Movement, approached the National Green Tribunal earlier this year. They alleged that illegal mining was rampant in at least 16 locations in the region. “In many locations, substantial portions of the hills have been mined and taken away and, in some instances, completely razed to the ground,” the petitioners told the tribunal.
They also alleged police inaction on many complaints of illegal mining. The tribunal then constituted a joint committee of representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the central and state pollution control boards, state police and mining and forest officers. This panel, the tribunal said, would visit the identified locations to check if illegal mining is on.
