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Chaibasa (Jharkhand), November 7 (IANS) A youth named Deepak Pradhan was allegedly crushed to death by a tractor for protesting against illegal sand smuggling in Mundai village under Jaintgarh OP area of West Singhbhum district on Friday.
This incident sparked outrage among the local people, who took to the streets and protested by keeping the body on the road for several hours.
The angry villagers raised slogans against the sand mafia and the police administration, accusing them of protecting illegal miners.
He claimed that large-scale illegal sand mining and transportation has been going on in Mundai and surrounding areas for a long time, but no action has been taken by the police or the mining department.
According to the villagers, Deepak had consistently protested against illegal trade and was “deliberately targeted” for protesting against it.
“He used to stop sand-laden tractors and complain about them. That’s why he was murdered,” a local resident alleged.
Senior police officers reached the spot and assured strict action, after which the road jam was lifted.
Later the body was sent to Chaibasa Sadar Hospital for post-mortem. The tractor involved in the incident has been confiscated, but no one has been arrested yet.
Jaganathpur police station in-charge Avinash Kumar said that a detailed investigation has been started.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that Deepak Pradhan was trying to stop the vehicle when the accident occurred, resulting in his death. We have seized the tractor and are investigating all aspects,” he said.
However, the villagers rejected the police’s “accident” theory and insisted that Deepak was murdered by members of the sand mafia.
He alleged that more than a dozen tractors transport illegally mined sand every night from the river banks in the area and that despite repeated complaints the authorities have not taken action.
“The administration is turning a blind eye. Illegal sand mining is happening right under the nose of the police and mining officials. If the culprits are not arrested and illegal mining is not stopped immediately, we will intensify our agitation,” warned a villager.
–IANS
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