Illegal mining: Cop comes under attack; escapes with injuries

Rewa (MP), May 18: A police sub-inspector was injured when he jumped into a pit to save his life after an excavator illegally mining 'murum' allegedly made an attempt to mow him down at Sirmaur area, 45 km from the district headquarters.

"After getting complaints of illegal murum mining, I went to the spot at Umari village on May 16 night. I found a JCB machine doing illegal murum mining. I tried to stop it but instead the driver at the wheels of the JCB machine advanced toward with his vehicle. I jumped into a pit at the right side to save myself," (victim) Sub-Inspector DP Singh told PTI over phone from Rewa.

"We chased the JCB machine and caught its driver Manoj Kumar Sahu," he said. "On May 14, I had received a threat call on my cell phone from an unidentified person not to take action against illegal miners otherwise it will have serious repercussions," he said quoting the caller.

Sahu has been booked under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 353 (obstructing government officials from performing duty) and 379 (theft) of IPC, Sirmaur Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) M S Mishra who is heading the probe into the incident, told PTI.

Asked about the injuries to his subordinate, the SDOP sought to downplay the incident saying that Singh has sustained minor injuries on his leg and hands as he jumped into the pit. The attack on the SI has come just a month after the death of police constable in Morena district, who was killed on duty when an illegal sand laden truck he had clung on to in an attempt to stop it, toppled on its side crushing him.

Before this constable, an IPS officer Narendra Kumar was mowed down in 2012 when he tried to stop a tractor carrying illegally mined stone in Morena district. According to people engaged in mining in MP, the illegal sand mining business is worth Rs 20,000 crore per annum. Incidentally, MP Mining Minister Rajendra Shukla hails from Rewa district.

PTI