Six cops suspended for Dholpur shootout with mining mafia

JAIPUR: Six policemen have been suspended for the shootout between cops and the mining mafia in Dholpur’s Basai Dang village on August 30. Two persons, involved in the alleged transporting of illegally mined sand (bajri), were killed and four others, including two constables, were injured in the incident.

The suspended constables are Kampotar Singh, Niranjan, Rajender, Dasrath, Manoj and Ravinder.

On August 30, the quick response team (QRT) and the local police had intercepted a convoy of tractors transporting illegally mined sand. Though the police party tried to stop them, the criminals reportedly fired at the police.

“According to the chronology of events of what happened that day, there are certain aspects which indicated that the police personnel did not completely following regulations. An inquiry is still on into the incident,” Bharatpur Range DIG Lakshman Gaur said.

In the same case, SHO Basai Dang and another cop were suspended last month.

It has also been reported that the police had fired on innocent villagers.

The cops have, however, refuted these claims.

Dholpur SP Mridul Kachawa told TOI, “The policemen have been suspended following orders of senior officials. The smugglers fired at the police following which we retaliated.”

Dholpur is notorious for illegal mining. Shootouts between the police and the mafia involved in the illegal trade have been reported on a number of occasions. Two police constables were brutally thrashed in Dholpur on Monday late night by unknown men.

The constables, who were stationed in Kotwali in Dhoplur, were patrolling on a bike when the accused overtook them in a car on the Chambal river bridge and forcibly took them to a forest area. They were then beaten up with sticks and belts before the accused fled from the scene. A Madhya Pradesh MLA’s son is also one of the accused in the incident.

In April, a police constable was shot in the shoulder by the mining mafia when he tried to stop a vehicle illegally transporting sand. Last year, a DSP and his driver were critically injured after they were attacked by the mining mafia.