SI suspended after High Court raps Ropar police for ‘shielding’ mining mafia

Ropar, September 7

Following an observation by the Punjab and Haryana High Court that police personnel were hand in glove with persons carrying out illegal mining in Ropar, area SSP Vivek Sheel Soni today suspended Naya Nangal police post in-charge SI Inderjit Singh.

Soni said the investigation conducted by the SI in eight cases of illegal mining was found to be insufficient and full of lapses.

While hearing a petition filed by a tipper driver for the grant of pre-arrest bail on September 4, Justice NS Shekhawat had rapped the police for the “sorry state of affairs”.

The judge had observed that the police were trying their best to shield the real culprits, “at whose instance illegal mining operations were being carried out”.

Observing that “it is apparent that in the present case, only poor persons — drivers of JCB and tipper — have been arrayed as accused”, Justice Shekhawat had directed the Ropar SSP to file a detailed report indicating the reasons why persons carrying out illegal mining operations had not been arrayed as accused in the case.

According to information, SSP Soni asked SHOs from Anandpur Sahib, Nangal and Nurpur Bedi areas to present all such cases before him. A total of 32 cases were reviewed today.

Lapses were found in eight cases being investigated by SI Inderjit Singh, following which he was suspended, the SSP said. — TNS

MLA blames leaders, admn too

}Indeed, a sorry state of affairs. Police involvement is an open secret, but what about the civil administration and the political class? Illegal mining is not possible without the ‘collaboration’ of all three. — Sandeep Jakhar, Abohar MLA