Another mining officer attacked by sand mafia in Odisha’s Keonjhar

A mining officer sustained serious injuries on Sunday after being allegedly attacked by the sand mafia in Keonjhar district of Odisha.

Sources indicate that the brazen attack took place on the Baitarani bridge around the Anandapur subdivision during a routine vehicle inspection.

As per reports, the mining officer had stopped a vehicle allegedly belonging to the sand mafia to conduct a routine inspection. However, the situation turned violent when assailants immediately sprung out of the halted vehicle and attacked the officer.

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The attackers vandalized the officer’s vehicle and injured the officer as well as his driver, who were subsequently rescued by Ghasipura police and taken to a nearby hospital. The attackers are still at large.

Notably, the situation has brought to light how mining department personnel are frequently getting attacked by miscreants in various parts of the state, especially in Keonjhar. Such incidents have been attributed to a lack of security arrangements which make them vulnerable to such attacks.

Additionally, the officers often have to carry out their duty despite the nearest mines being located about 80 kilometers away from the Anandapur subdivision in Keonjhar, which has witnessed rising cases of attacks by sand mafia in recent times.

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According to sources, hundreds of truckloads of sand are reportedly being transported illegally from various sand quarries along the Baitarani, Kushei, and Remal rivers in the region, requiring the need for heightened vigil.