Police have nabbed three men who assaulted forest department staff after being caught transporting illegally mined sand in a tractor at Perch village, Mullanpur, on the intervening night between Tuesday and Wednesday.
The accused have been identified as tractor owner Sucha Singh, his son Aman and his friend Sukhwinder.
Confirming this, Mullanpur SHO Satinder Singh said the three main accused had been arrested, while raids were being conducted to nab their unidentified accomplices.
In the attack, forest department field staff Nirmal Singh had suffered serious injuries, while forest guard Vipandeep Kaur was manhandled and subjected to abuses.
In the complaint to the police, the forest range officer had stated that forest guard Vipandeep Kaur, along with field staff Nirmal Singh and Ramesh, was on patrolling duty in Perch village on Tuesday night. There, the team spotted a tractor-trolley loaded with illegally mined sand and stopped it.
Within minutes, tractor’s owner Sucha Singh, along with his son Aman, his friend Sukhwinder and some more men, reached the spot.
When the forest guard told them that the tractor-trolley will be impounded, they attacked the field staff, injuring them seriously. They also manhandled the female forest guard and hurled abuses, before fleeing the scene with the tractor trolley, the complaint stated.
{{/usCountry}}When the forest guard told them that the tractor-trolley will be impounded, they attacked the field staff, injuring them seriously. They also manhandled the female forest guard and hurled abuses, before fleeing the scene with the tractor trolley, the complaint stated.
{{/usCountry}}Nirmal, who suffered the most injuries, was admitted to the civil hospital in Kharar for treatment.
The accused are facing a case under Sections 379 (theft), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 506 (criminal intimidation), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 34 (acts done in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, and relevant sections of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act and Indian Forest Act.