Madhya Pradesh cop crushed to death by sand mafia's tractor
A police officer was run over by a tractor on Saturday while trying to stop the speeding vehicle carrying illegally mined sand in Shahdol district, Madhya Pradesh. The event occurred late Saturday when Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Mahendra Bagri, along with constables Prasad Kanoji and Sanjay Dubey, went to the site to check illegal mining in the area. Bagri died on the spot, while the other two constables managed to escape.
Arrests and legal proceedings in wake of tragic incident
Following the incident, law enforcement arrested the tractor's driver and the vehicle owner's son. "The driver of the tractor has been arrested and an inquiry is on. In the inquiry, it was revealed that the son of the owner of the tractor was also involved in it. He has also been arrested," stated DC Sagar, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Shahdol. The tractor's owner, Surendra Singh, remains at large with a reward offered for information leading to his capture.
Second such incident in 6 months
This is the second such incident in six months in the same district. In November of last year, a local revenue department officer was crushed to death by a tractor-trolley carrying illegally mined sand from the Son River in the Gopalpur area of Shahdol district. Shubham Vishwakarma, the 22-year-old tractor-trolley driver from Maihar district, was caught shortly after a ₹30,000 bounty was announced.
Controversial statement by Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister
In a related development, Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Aidal Singh Kansana was recently captured on film declaring that sand mafias would face no repercussions after the Lok Sabha elections. "No stones will be thrown at anyone after elections. No one's sand-laden or stone-laden tractor will be caught after the elections. If someone's tractor is caught, then call me," he proclaimed during a rally in Gwalior.
