AGRA: A 24-year-old police constable was allegedly crushed to death by a tractor, laden with illegally mined sand, while he was trying to stop it from speeding away in Agra’s Kheragarh area early Sunday. Sonu Chaudhary, from Aligarh, had joined the police force in 2018. He is survived by his wife.
The tractor driver and his accomplices also opened fire on the police and fled amid thick morning fog, said SP, City, Botre Rohan Pramod. “Sonu Chaudhary was a hard-working policeman. Teams have been formed to nab the accused,” said Botre.
An FIR was registered against six people under various IPC sections and under the UP Minor Minerals (Concession) Rules, 1963. According to the FIR, lodged by sub-inspector Amit Singh, the police received a tip-off that on the movement of tractor-trolleys with sand from Rajasthan to Ahela village in Agra. Additional police force was deployed and barricades were put up at Ahela crossing. Around 3:50am, at least six tractor-trolleys were seen coming towards the crossing. On seeing the police barricades, some of them sped away towards the Ahela village while two rushed to another area. A police jeep chased them. When Chaudhary got off the jeep to stop one of the tractors, he was crushed to death. He was rushed to hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
Chaudhary’s uncle Arun Kumar told TOI that he was the eldest in the family. “Chaudhary’s last rites were performed in his village in the evening. His younger brother, Navneet Kumar, is in the Army and is posted in J&K,” Kumar added.