In Nuh to Crack Down on Illegal Mining, Haryana DSP Run Over by Truck; One Accused Arrested

In a horrific incident, a senior police officer was on Tuesday run over by a truck in the Nuh district of Haryana while he was trying to stop illegal mining. Deputy Superintendent of Police Surendra Singh, who was deployed in Tauru, died on the spot. He was due to retire in three months. Hours after the incident, a team of police arrested an accused during an encounter that took place in the Tauru area and took him into custody.

Haryana DGP PK Agarwal said, “One accused has been arrested in an encounter. Rest will be arrested very soon. Nobody will be spared.” The dumper that was used to mow down Singh was found and taken into custody by the Haryana Police.

Singh had reached the spot after he got information about illegal mining being carried out. He then asked the truck driver for his license and papers and signaled the driver to stop. However, the stone-laden truck driver got panicked, sped up the truck, and ran him over. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead, police said.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1 crore to the kin and martyrdom status to the victim officer. He also announced a job for a member of the family.

Meanwhile, Haryana minister Moolchand Sharma said the official had gone to take the stock of the illegal mining going on in the area. He added that strict action will be taken against the perpetrators behind the crime and no culprit will be spared.

Speaking on the incident, IGP South Range said that the DSP had come for a surprise inspection and didn’t come with a backup force. “He had come for a surprise inspection based on a tip-off. Didn’t come with backup force as he may not have found time for it. He was run over by the accused. No weapons used,” ADG Ravi Kiran, IGP south range said.

Haryana ADGP (law and order) Sandeep Khirwar said, “We will recover the dumper (used to mow down the DSP) soon. We will come out with full progress of the case very soon. We registered a case of IPC sections 302 (murder), 307, 333, 186, 353 along with 379 and 188. Haryana Police is a capable police force and our morale is up. We stand with his family in hour of grief.”

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij also expressed condolences to the family and said that strict action will be taken against the culprits.

Meanwhile, the Haryana Police condoled the death of the officer and ensured justice to the victim.

Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda attacked the state government saying that the people are feeling unsafe and the government needs to win back trust. “This is a sad and painful incident. This reflects the current law and order situation in the state. Every person is feeling unsafe. Government needs to earn back the trust, take strict steps,” Hooda said.

An officer said police teams are conducting raids to arrest the driver. Since 2015, about 50 complaints of illegal mining are registered every year in Nuh, officials said. Often, there are run-ins between police and members of the mining mafia.

DSP Singh was recruited as assistant sub inspector in Haryana Police in 1994 and was to retire in a few months. He lived with family in Kurukshetra and hailed from Sarangpur village in Hisar district.

Singh had promised to meet his younger brother soon but the officer’s death, while he was trying to stop illegal mining, left the family shocked. Ashok Kumar Bishnoi, the younger brother of the DSP, said the entire family is in a state of shock.

Bishnoi, who is an officer in a cooperative bank in Kurukshetra, told the media that his elder brother was to retire from police service after three months. He had spoken to his elder brother on the phone at 8 am and he had said that he will come home soon.

Bishnoi said his brother is survived by his wife, a married daughter and a son. His daughter is an officer in a bank in Bengaluru and son is pursuing education in Canada.

The officer’s last rites will be held at Adampur near his native Sarangpur village in Hisar.

(with inputs from PTI)

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