'Charha de iske upar': Forest ranger crushed after trying to trying to stop dumper with illegally mined soil in Rajasthan- Moneycontrol.com

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The incident occurred within the Choti Sadri police station limits, in a forested area near the Ghatiwale Balaji temple.

A forest ranger was allegedly run over by a dumper while pursuing the vehicle after it was found carrying soil illegally mined from a forest area in Rajasthan's Pratapgarh district, officials said on Tuesday.

Pratap Singh Chundawat, 40, was chasing the dumper on his Royal Enfield motorcycle when the vehicle allegedly ran him over around midnight on Monday. He was taken to the government hospital in Nimbahera, where he died during treatment on Tuesday.

The incident occurred within the Choti Sadri police station limits, in a forested area near the Ghatiwale Balaji temple.

Pratapgarh Deputy SP Rameshwar Lal told The Indian Express that forest officials had received information about illegal soil excavation and reached the spot, where they found a JCB and a dumper. The dumper fled after the team arrived, following which Chundawat began pursuing it.

“Late on Monday the forest team received information that soil was being illegally mined from a forest area. The team immediately reached the spot and found a JCB and a dumper at work. Seeing the forest team, the dumper truck escaped. However, Chudawant, not a person to let go of the dumper, began to chase it on his motorcycle. As others (co-accused) caught up, they provoked the dumper driver to crush the officer by saying ‘charha de iske upar’ (crush him). The driver allegedly ran over the officer and escaped. The driver has been identified as Kana Bawri," Pratapgarh Deputy SP Rameshwar Lal said.

The police have registered an FIR under sections relating to murder, illegal mining, obstructing a public servant from carrying out official duties and theft from forest land, among other charges.

“The JCB and the dumper have been seized and some persons, including the owner and driver of the JCB machine, have also been detained. We are questioning them,” the DSP said.

According to the FIR, around five to six people were allegedly involved in the illegal digging when Chundawat and two other forest guards reached the site. “Forest guards Suresh and Ajay were accompanying Pratap. Later, they called other personnel to the spot,” Lal said.

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