A 58-year-old Haryana deputy superintendent of police (DSP) investigating a lead on illegal mining in Nuh district was allegedly run over by a truck on Tuesday when he tried to flag it down for questioning, officials said.
The DSP’s death in Nuh’s Pachgaon led to a search operation in which a cleaner of the truck was shot in the leg and arrested, Haryana director general of police PK Agrawal said. “Teams are conducting raids to arrest the other accused,” he said.
About 200 complaints of illegal mining are registered every year in Nuh, according to officials.
On Tuesday, Surender Singh, Tauru DSP in Nuh, was declared dead by a team of doctors at the spot where he was hit by the truck at 11.50am, the police said.
Nuh superintendent of police Varun Singla said Singh received a tip-off that a few dump trucks were loading stones after illegal mining in the area. “He, along with his driver and gunman, left for the spot and informed station house officer of Tauru to send a team. As Singh’s team reached the spot, the driver of the truck and others tried to flee but were signalled to stop. The officer’s gunman and his driver jumped aside and had a narrow escape. However, the speeding dumper truck ran Singh over and fled the spot. There were at least four people inside, including the driver,” he said.
The DSP has previously arrested more than 20 drivers and impounded about 30 vehicles carrying illegally mined stone, dust and sand, the police said. He was active in the area and would conduct surprise checks, they added. Singh was set to retire in four months and wanted to reduce the menace of illegal mining as much as possible, the police said.
{{/usCountry}}The DSP has previously arrested more than 20 drivers and impounded about 30 vehicles carrying illegally mined stone, dust and sand, the police said. He was active in the area and would conduct surprise checks, they added. Singh was set to retire in four months and wanted to reduce the menace of illegal mining as much as possible, the police said.
{{/usCountry}}Ashok Kumar Bishnoi, younger brother of the DSP, said the family is in a state of shock. Singh is survived by his wife, a daughter and a son. The officer’s last rites will be held at Adampur in Hisar.
Ravi Kiran, additional director general of police and IGP south range, said Singh was conducting a surprise inspection based on a tip-off and did not visit the stop with backup forces as he may not have found time for it.
Singla said that after receiving information about the incident, a search was launched for those travelling in the truck. “The vehicle was identified and we formed crime teams who raided several locations based on intelligence,” he said.
In a four-hour-long search operation, the police arrested an accused after firing in Pachgaon’s Chilla village, about 45km from Gurugram. The suspect was identified as Ikkar Khan, a cleaner of the dumper truck. He sustained a bullet injury in his leg after exchange of fire withthe police.
In a run-in with those involved in illegal mining in February this year, two Faridabad policemen were attacked when they tried to stop vehicles at Chandpur village. In an incident similar to the one on Tuesday, on December 18 last year, two policemen were injured in Nuh when drivers of two dumper trucks tried to run them over.
On May 29, the forest department issued a direction to its field staff in the Mewat region to increase vigil as illegal mining of minor minerals was going on rampantly despite a ban by the Supreme Court in the ecologically sensitive Aravalli Hills – the green lungs of Delhi and Gurugram. Since then, the department has lodged 23 FIRs in the region against illegal miners and on Tuesday, the deputy superintendent of police was there to stop one such activity.
Singla said there was no mining mafia involved in the incident but locals who steal stones to make their ends meet. “The locals who are involved in mining and loading stone, dust and stones are operating in the district and there are no organised gangs involved. Our teams have controlled the mining and over 110 cases have been registered this year since January. The mining issue is serious and our officials conduct surprise checks and conduct regular raids to control the menace,” he said.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar assured strict action against those involved in the crime and announced ₹1 crore ex gratia to the officer’s family and job to kin of the police officer. “Not a single culprit will be spared,” said Khattar.
In a condolence message posted on its official Twitter handle, the Haryana Police said “no effort shall be spared in bringing the offenders to face justice”.
Haryana home minister Anil Vij said: “We will not spare anyone. Strict actions will be taken against the accused. ₹50 lakh is given to police personnel from the bank and the government will also give ₹50 lakh to the family of the deceased DSP.”
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar assured strict action against those involved in the crime and announced ₹1 crore ex gratia to the officer’s family and job to kin of the police officer. “Not a single culprit will be spared,” said Khattar.
Haryana mining minister Mool Chand Sharma, however, refuted the involvement of the mining mafia in the murder of DSP Singh, saying that locals were involved in the crime. “It is not a mining site, it’s a forest area and it seems locals had come with the intention of stealing stones,” he said.
A case under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 333 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant), 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at the Tauru police station.
The Opposition in the state condemned the killing of the police official and blamed the government for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. “It is shameful. Mining mafia is getting out of hand. Law and order situation is deteriorating. MLAs are being threatened, police are also not safe. How will public feel safe? The government needs to act expeditiously,” Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said.
DSP Singh was recruited as an assistant sub-inspector in the Haryana Police on April 12, 1994. He was from Sarangpur village of Hisar and was currently living with his family in Kurukshetra.