Dragged by truck engaged in illegal mining, cop seriously hurt during raid

A constable was seriously injured when the driver of a truck involved in illegal mining at Rampur Gujran khud in Nalagarh last evening tried to run over a police team that was conducting a surprise raid to nab the offenders.

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Constable Amit Bhardwaj was seriously injured when the mining mafia dragged him by the truck. He was referred to Government Medical College, Sector 32, Chandigarh.

SP, Baddi, Vinod Dhiman said that as part of a campaign to check illegal mining in border areas, a six-member Jogo police team arrived at Rampur Gujran khud in Nalagarh and found that an earth excavation machine and two tippers were engaged in illegal mining. The drivers of the three vehicles tried to flee on seeing the police team.

To evade being caught, the driver of one of the trucks tried to overrun the police team but ended up dragging the constable and grievously injuring him. The truck drivers, however, managed to flee taking advantage of darkness while the police team nabbed the driver of the excavation machine. The arrested person was identified as Ravi Dass, a resident of Gholowal Bhatoli village.

The accused disclosed that Acchar, a resident of Rampur Gurjan village, was the owner of the excavation machine and the two trucks. He had directed them to illegally excavate construction material from the khud. The police registered an FIR against him. The Rampur Gujran khud area lies about 1.5 km from Kiratpur in Punjab and is a hotspot of illegal mining.

The police also arrested Roop Lal (26), a resident of Rampur Gujran. The duo were today produced before a Nalagarh court, which remanded them in four days’ police custody.

SP, Baddi, Vinod Dhiman and DSP, Nalagarh, Bhisham Thakur visited the place where the crime took place. Dhiman said that another raid was later carried out at Androla khud and Rampur Gujran village and 10 trucks and seven earth excavation machines were impounded for the violation of the Motor Vehicles Act and legal mining. Two excavation machines had Punjab registration numbers.

The SP directed field officials to probe the case thoroughly and act tough with those indulging in illegal mining in this border industrial belt.

A case under Sections 109, 132, 121(1), 303(2), 3(5) of the BNS for attempt to murder, assault on a public servant, causing hurt or grievous hurt to a public servant or to prevent or deter him from discharging his duties and theft and Section 21 of the Mining Act has been registered.