Probe under scanner as dead man booked, mining continues

The team had booked four people under the mining act and 379 for illegal mining at the forest land in Channa village on Tuesday. Among the four is Bachan Singh, who died a few years back. When The Indian Express visited Channa village on Thursday, several earth mover machines, heavy trucks and trolleys were still operating at the site which falls on land that belonged to Bachan Singh. (A video recording is available here).

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Of the other three booked for illegal mining, Puran Singh, Kulwant Singh and Harbans Singh are registered as cultivators on forest department land in the revenue records. When The Indian Express visited them, the three men pointed to their daily struggles to state that they were being made scapegoats. Kulwant Singh and Harbans Singh have one-room houses without any doors. Their children do not go to school.

“Look at our children and our homes. Do you think we run the sand mafia here? We live a hand-to-mouth existence. It is true that we are cultivators of forest land but we cultivate only in the rabi season. Paddy is not possible on this land. Those involved in sand mining are influential people and they do not need our permission to dig up the forest land. We have been made scapegoats,” said Puran Singh.

“Mining has been going on for months on the land and is still on. The only difference is that now we have become criminals and police can arrest us any time,” said Harbans Singh.

The four-member team is, meanwhile, yet to seize the computer – at the weighing centre on the Ajnala-Jagdev Khurd road – that was used to issue weightment slips in the name of the Ludhiana-based Joshi Construction Company. These slips are given to truck drivers as documentation for the sand on the highways. There had been discrepancies in the slips issued to the Ludhiana company.

Sand mining contractor Parshant Joshi has also not been summoned.

DSP: Accused from different villages

DSP Tilak Raj, who is part of the four-member team probing the illegal mining, said the four accused belonged to different villages. “They were booked as they were using trolleys for mining,” he said. On why a dead man had been booked, he fumbled and said: “We have booked people as suggested by forest department.” He feigned ignorance about the slips being issued on behalf of Parshant Joshi construction company and copy of which is with Express.

Forest officer Parkash Singh admitted that Bachan Singh is dead but said he has been booked as the land belongs to him. He said the others have also been booked for same reason.