Illegal Excavators Attack Forest Department Team in Protected Forest Area of Utangan River, Agra
Agra – 2023.05.01 (Vrindavan Today News): In a shocking incident that has again raised concerns about illegal deforestation and wildlife conservation, a team from the forest department was attacked by illegal soil excavators in the protected forest area of Utangan River in Papri Nagar of Pinahat on Saturday night. Utangan river is a tributary to Yamuna.
According to reports, the accused were using a tractor loader to excavate soil by destroying the mounds when the forest department team received information about the illegal activity and rushed to the spot. However, the accused attacked them and drove the loader onto forest guard Sadanand Yadav, who sustained injuries while trying to save himself. The other members of the team were forced to jump into the ravine to save themselves as the situation escalated. The accused, realizing the gravity of the situation, abandoned the tractor loader and fled the area. The police have registered a case against the accused and are currently investigating the matter.
The team of the Social Forestry Range conducted a raid in the forest area of Uttangan in Papari Nagar led by Ranger Ashok Sharma on Saturday night at 2 am. At the scene, a tractor loader was excavating soil after digging up the area. Upon seeing the team, the workers tried to run away with the tractor. The team, including forest guard Sadanand Yadav, attempted to catch the tractor. Ranger Ashok Sharma stated that the driver caught forest guard Sadanand Yadav in the grip of the tractor. The forest guard sustained injuries to his arms and legs. The team members, including Forest Ranger Vijay Kumar Singh, Raghuvir Singh Pal, Forest Guard Dhirendra Singh, Hazari Lal, Hari Prasad, Dushasan, Chhotu Verma, etc. saved their lives by jumping into a ditch. Later, the team stopped the tractor by coming together. The mining workers, Tehrapura’s Ovendra, Het Singh of Amarupura, and Rajkumar of Andh, who fled were later charged with a case against them.
This is not the first time the mining mafia has attacked officials in the region. The mining mafia in Agra has a history of violence and attacks against authorities. They have even taken the lives of policemen in the past. In November 2020, the mining mafia attacked a police team in the Kheragarh area, killing a soldier by driving a tractor over him. In January 2022, a police team was attacked near “Kyorri Beach Ka Pura” in the Chambal Senkchuary area of the Pinahat region after they received information about illegal mining and reached the spot. The mining mafia fired shots and escaped with their tractors. The mining mafia in Sainya, Jaganer, and Kheragarh have attacked police teams several times.
More than a hundred cases have been filed against the mining mafia in the Kheragarh, Malpura, Sainya, Iraadatnagar, and Fatehabad police stations. Dumpers and tractor-trailers carrying illegal sand have been coming to Agra from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Eight months ago, 13 tractor-trailers filled with sand were seen breaking through the toll gate at Sanya Toll in just 52 seconds. The video of this incident went viral, and immediate action was taken under the direction of the then SSP Prabhakar Chaudhary. The police had arrested more than 50 people and sent them to jail.
Despite repeated efforts by the authorities to curb illegal mining and transportation, the issue continues to persist as a major challenge in Agra and Mathura.
