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Ludhiana: Stir over illegal mining: Gaunsgarh village head’s son among 2 detained
The two were taken into custody amid ongoing protests against alleged illegal mining at the government-approved Rorh Cluster site; however, under mounting pressure from villagers and political leaders,they were released later in the day
A wave of tension gripped Gaunsgarh village, located in the Ludhiana East constituency, on Thursday after police detained Jaspreet Gill, son of the village sarpanch, and Sukhwinder Gill, the president of the local Gurudwara committee. The two were taken into custody amid ongoing protests against alleged illegal mining at the government-approved Rorh Cluster site. However, under mounting pressure from villagers and political leaders, including Congress leader Manveer Singh Dhaliwal, the Meharban police station officials released both detainees later in the day.
For the past five days, the residents of Gaunsgarh have been blocking roads to stop vehicles involved in mining operations, alleging that illegal mining is being carried out under the guise of a government auction site.
Protestors claimed that goons linked to the mining mafia had manhandled demonstrators, including women, in an attempt to intimidate them into ending their agitation. However, the villagers remained firm on their demand for strict action against what they insist is unauthorised mining, raising additional concerns over the deteriorating condition of local roads due to the movement of heavy vehicles.
In a letter addressed to the executive engineer’s office on June 29, 2025, villagers pointed out that the road from Gaunsgarh Bus Stand to Sasrali Colony is merely 12 feet wide, while the stretch from Sasrali Colony to Satluj Bandh is just 10 feet wide. They highlighted that both roads have a thin 20mm premix carpet (PC) layer designed for regular village traffic, not for the heavy trucks used in mining.
Addressing the allegations, executive engineer Rajat Grover said that no illegal mining was taking place at the site. According to him, the government had auctioned the site for legal mining, and all operations were being conducted in compliance with prescribed norms.
Meanwhile, a meeting was conducted between protestors, local administration officials and representatives of the government contractor managing the mining operations. The protest is still underway.
