Murder of a DSP

The daylight murder of Deputy Superintendent of Police Surender Singh at Tauru in Nuh district of Haryana exposes the shocking impunity with which petty criminals commit horrible crimes in the absence of credible deterrents even at the gates of the nation’s capital. Nothing exemplifies the free run of criminals more than the mowing down of an experienced police officer who had just three months left to retire. A greenhorn getting crushed under the wheels of a dumper with missing licence plates is one thing, but it is beyond comprehension that a uniformed veteran with nearly 30 years of service could get outnumbered by hardened criminals, blatantly flouting the Supreme Court’s comprehensive ban on mining in the Aravallis.

The sad incident leaves many questions unanswered. The honorific of a martyr, compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job to a family member are all welcome decisions by CM Manohar Lal Khattar; so is the arrest of dumper cleaner Ikkar and the search for driver Mittar. But the real search ought to be for their political patrons. Such open violation of the law could not have happened without a criminal-politician nexus. The murderers could well be mere henchmen of some local politician who had hired them to carry out illegal mining. No illicit activity can be done anywhere in India without politicians offering protection or, worse, actually running the criminal enterprise. And cops often fall prey to this nexus as victims or collaborators.

The Khattar government should exhibit exemplary political will to crush the sand-mining and stone-crushing mafia across the state. Not just the Aravallis, the Shivaliks too are not safe from these rapacious miners, who make whole hillocks disappear as the mountains get gradually shaved. Honest officers and even journalists look askance lest they should end up under the wheels of a dumper like Surender Singh did. While stopping illegal mining, the government should ensure transparency in all aspects of mining and the open-market sale of sand, gravel and other construction material. There should be no extralegal role for local politicians in mining operations.

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