IPS officer killed by mining mafia in MP

GWALIOR: A young IPS officer, Narendra Kumar Singh, was crushed to death under the wheels of a tractor-trolley today allegedly rpt allegedly by the mining mafia in Madhya Pradesh, when he tried stopping the vehicle carrying stones at Banmore town in neighbouring Morena district.

The 2009 batch officer was posted at Banmore as Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP).

The incident occurred this afternoon when the officer who was on patrol in his official jeep noticed a tractor-trolley loaded with stones following which he overtook it and signalled the driver to stop it, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Chambal Range, DP Gupta told reporters here.

However, when the driver did not budge, he again crossed it and this time stood in front of the vehicle in order to bring it to a halt on the spot.

But the tractor driver identified as Manoj Gurjar instead of stopping the vehicle, speeded and hit the 30-year-old officer, crushing him under the wheels.

Following the incident, the officer was rushed to a hospital here, where he was declared brought dead, the DIG said adding prima facie it appears that the mining mafia active in the area is behind the incident.

Gurjar has been arrested and a case has been registered under section 302 of the IPC against them.

The deceased cop's wife, Madhurani Tewatia is an IAS officer, posted in Gwalior and currently on maternity leave.

Kumar was posted at Banmore since last one month and during his brief tenure he had taken on the mining mafia head-on by seizing number of trucks and tractors engaged in illegal mining in the area, the sources said.

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Uma Shankar Gupta and the State's Director General of Police (DGP) Nandan Dube have rushed to Gwalior following the incident.

Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Ajay Singh, alleged the manner in which the IPS officer was killed indicated how bad the law and order situation was.

"One can imagine the law and order situation in a state where people are so emboldened that they can think of killing an IPS officer," he said in a statement here.

Congress had since long speaking about illegal mining in the state but the BJP government had not done anything to control it, he alleged.