Karnataka Shocker! Official mowed down by truck for trying to stop sand mafia

Karnataka: In another testimony to the rapid rise of the sand mafia in Karnataka, a village official was killed in broad daylight while he was conducting a raid against the same in a village in the Raichur district. The accountant was conducting a survey when he suspected a lorry to be carrying illegal sand from Tungabadra River. He tried to stop the vehicle when he was run over by the driver. The villagers tried to rush him to the nearest hospital but he succumbed to his injuries by the time any treatment could be administered to him. Rangappa, the driver of the lorry, has been arrested by the police after the deceased’s family filed a case against him. In the recent past, there have been multiple cases of illegal sand mining near the Krishna and Tungabadra rivers and officials have often been attacked on duty. Last year, the Deputy Commissioner, Priyanka Mari Francis, and the then Assistant Commissioner Shilpa Nag raided the illegal sand mining activities in Kandlur village and were assaulted by a gang of people. In 2016, the sand mafia was suspected to be involved the incident where thirteen crest gates of the Hingani barrage were broken and a large amount of water saved for irrigation and drinking had gone to waste. The government has however failed to take any significant actions in order to stop the rampant and illegal sand mining affecting multiple districts of the state. The entire activity of the dubious sand mafia not just results in an economic loss to the state but is also a major source of environmental degradation of the entire topography of the region. Source: Times Now