Third shootout over sand in a week

BHARATPUR : Two groups of river sand smugglers clashed in a village of Dholpur district on Sunday, police said.

Two people were injured in exchange of fire between the two groups, which was the third shootout over river sand in the district in a week.

“The injured were taken to Badi community health centre from where they were referred to district hospital,” said Ramesh Tanwar, the station house officer of Badi police station.

The river sand smugglers have become active in the district following the Supreme Court ban on mining of river sand in November last year. In the week ending on Sunday, there have been two attacks on police trying to check illegal smuggling of river sand.

On March 30, a constable, Narendra Singh, deployed at the Housing Board police outpost in Dholpur was attacked by the sand mafia when he was returning from the police lines late at night. Tractors carrying river sand from the Chambal river hit his motorcycle. The police officer is undergoing treatment at the district hospital. He filed a complaint against three smugglers at the Kotwali police station. None of them have been arrested so far.

Four days before the incident, some people carrying sand illegally opened fire at a police party, led by deputy superintendent of police Satish Kumar Yadav, when the cops tried to stop them. Police officers escaped unhurt in the attack.