Bihar: 6 injured in alleged attack by sand mafia; FIR lodged against 21 people

The incident took place at around 3 pm when a team led by the mining inspector reached the site after receiving a complaint about illegal sand lifting

At least six mining officials, including the mining inspector, were injured after some men involved in illegal sand mining allegedly attacked them in Bihar’s Kishanganj district on Thursday afternoon. Raids were being carried out to arrest the accused after the police lodged an FIR against 21 persons. The attackers have been identified.

Sand mining in Bihar. (File Photo)

The incident took place at around 3 pm when a team led by the mining inspector reached the site after receiving a complaint about illegal sand lifting. As soon the team reached, around 25 people attacked them with weapons. “They also pelted stones at the team and several team members, including me, got injured,” mining inspector Umashankar Singh said.

The attackers escaped from the scene by the time the local police reached the spot. “We were brought to the Kishanganj district hospital for treatment,” Singh said.

Based on the written complaint of the mining inspector, the police lodged the FIR naming 21 persons under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Bihar minerals (Concession, Prevention of illegal mining transportation and storage Rules, 2019 and sections 21 and 04 of Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act, and 15 of Forest and Environment Protection Act, 1986.

The injured have been identified as Shambhu Paswan, Md Nasahad, Md Ismail, Bipin Kumar Yadav, Yogendra Prasad Singh (all constables), and the mining inspector.

The police also seized a sand-laden vehicle without a proper registration number and a motorcycle. “We have started carrying out raids to arrest the accused,” station house officer (SHO) Nisha Kant Kumar said.