THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, March 30: In a shocking incident in Jharkhand’s Palamu district, illegal stone mining operators and their associates allegedly attempted to strangulate Harihurganj Circle Officer (CO) Manish Kumar Sinha while he was on duty. His shirt was torn during the attack, and he was threatened with serious consequences if he tried to stop stone chip-loaded Hyva trucks.
Illegal stone transport crackdown triggers violence
The incident took place on March 28 when CO Sinha, along with government staff, intercepted two stone chip-loaded tipper trucks for transporting minerals without valid challans. The action against illegal stone transport reportedly triggered a violent response from the stone mafia.
Accused named, FIR filed under serious charges
An FIR has been lodged at Harihurganj police station naming Ankit Gupta, Mantu Soundik, Chhotu Kumar Singh, along with several unidentified persons. The accused have been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including attempt to murder, assault on a government servant, rioting, criminal intimidation, wrongful restraint, and unlawful assembly.
Goons free seized tippers, flee towards Bihar
According to police, the accused arrived in unnumbered vehicles, including a car and a Thar, and forcibly freed the two seized Hyva trucks registered in Chhattisgarh. The vehicles were driven towards Bihar’s Aurangabad district—one escaping via Kataiyya More and the other from Belodar More.
Before fleeing, the attackers reportedly forced chowkidars to get down from the trucks.
Harihurganj police station in-charge Deobrat Poddar confirmed that raids are underway to arrest the accused. He added that the vehicles can be traced with assistance from the Chhattisgarh transport department.