SDM's vehicle attacked during raid on illegal mining in HP

Nalagarh Sub Divisional Magistrate Yunus was attacked at Sirsa Bridge on Nalagarh-Ropar road

A sub-divisional magistrate, who was trying to check illegal mining in Nalagarh area of Himachal Pradesh, escaped unhurt when a tractor carrying illegally mined stones repeatedly rammed into his vehicle, police said today.

Nalagarh Sub Divisional Magistrate Yunus, a batch-mate of suspended IAS officer Durga Sakhti Nagpal who had taken on the sand mafia in Uttar Pradesh, was attacked at Sirsa Bridge on Nalagarh-Ropar road, 140-Km from here, last evening.

The flying squad vehicle of Yunus was hit three-four times by the tractor-trailer carrying the legally mined stones and finally the driver tried to throw the material on the vehicle of Yunus, they said.

However, the material did not fall on the vehicle of Yunus.

'SDM Yunus had gone to the site to check illegal mining along with other officials last evening and when he spotted two vehicles loaded with gravel and sand, he signalled them to stop. But one of the vehicles moved towards his vehicle and tried to hit it,' Superintendent of Police S.Arul said.

'Driver of the vehicle Makhan Singh has been arrested and investigations are in progress,' he said.

Officials said the SDM's vehicle overtook the tractor-trailer but instead of stopping it, the driver hit his vehicle.

'We got reports of other incidents also where illegal mining is being carried out and hope to book some people,' Arul said.

The mining mafia is active in the area bordering Punjab.

The incident comes days after 28-year-old Nagpal, a 2010-batch IAS officer, was suspended on July 27 by the UP government ostensibly for ordering demolition of wall of an under-construction mosque.

However, Nagpal's suspension has evoked sharp reaction from Opposition parties which alleged that she was removed for acting against the sand mafia.