Following the tragic death of a forest guard, the Congress party in Madhya Pradesh is accusing the BJP government of fostering a 'mafia raj' that enables rampant illegal mining across the state.
Key Points
- Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Govind Singh accuses the BJP government of enabling illegal mining activities.
- A forest guard was killed in Morena district after being run over by a tractor-trolley involved in illegal sand mining.
- Singh alleges political patronage protects illegal mining operations across Madhya Pradesh.
- The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an application regarding the forest guard's killing and illegal sand mining in the Chambal Sanctuary.
- Singh calls for Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to take immediate action against illegal mining groups.
Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Govind Singh on Thursday slammed the BJP government over the killing of a forest guard by illegal sand miners a day earlier and alleged such mafia are running the state.
Forest guard Harkesh Gurjar (35) was killed after a tractor-trolley ran over him in Morena district on Wednesday morning. The incident took place on National Highway-552 near Ranpur village when forest personnel tried to stop a sand-laden tractor-trolley.
Accusations of Political Patronage
"The state is being run by mafias and not the BJP. Illegal mining is being carried out across districts under political patronage. In the past 10 years, 13 persons in Morena and 19 in Bhind have been killed by vehicles linked to mining activities in Gwalior-Chambal region," Singh said.
He also cited a 2012 incident in which an IPS officer was crushed to death in the same region allegedly by mining mafia.
He further claimed illegal sand mining was rampant in the Chambal and Sindh rivers in the Gwalior-Chambal belt.
BJP MLAs, ministers, MPs and senior leaders were providing protection to those involved in illegal mining, the former state minister alleged.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who handles the home portfolio, must take immediate action to curb the activities of such groups, Singh said.
Supreme Court Intervention
Singh's statement came on a day when the Supreme Court agreed to hear next week an application which raised the issue of the forest guard's killing.
The matter was mentioned before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, which is hearing a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife'.
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