The police on Friday arrested the prime accused involved in the killing of a beldar of the irrigation department. With the arrest of the accused, identified as Joginder Singh (53) of Karnama village, the police have also recovered a tractor-trailer used for illegal mining.
Beldar Darshan Singh was killed after allegedly being pushed from the tractor-trailer by the accused.
During the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, a team of the irrigation department had caught Joginder Singh red-handed while digging sand illegally from a dry canal near Panjgaraian village in Batala.
When Joginder was being taken to the police, one of the irrigation team members Darshan Singh sat on his tractor-trailer.
“Joginder pushed Darshan from the running tractor. Darshan was injured after falling from the tractor. He was declared dead at Batala civil hospital,” said Batala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ashwani Gotyal.
She said various special teams were formed to nab the accused. “He was arrested, and his tractor-trailer was also seized,” she added.
She said the accused has been booked under sections 302 (murder), 353 (assault on public servant), 186 (obstruction public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 21 (1) of the Mining Act.
{{/usCountry}}She said the accused has been booked under sections 302 (murder), 353 (assault on public servant), 186 (obstruction public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 21 (1) of the Mining Act.
{{/usCountry}}“The accused will be presented in a local court for his police remand. Nobody will be spared for illegal mining in the district,” she added.