Forest department officials faced a violent attack from local residents in Rajasthan's Dholpur district on Wednesday. The incident occurred in the Sarmathura sub-division where a team had arrived to clamp down on illegal mining activities.
Violent Confrontation Erupts
According to forest ranger Devendra Singh, the team comprised fifty personnel from Dholpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Bharatpur, and the NCAAS. They were conducting an operation to close illegal mining routes following the recent death of a forest guard posted at the Chambal Sever outpost in Jhiri village.
Seizure of Equipment Sparks Fury
When the forest team reached the forest area near Madanpur village, they seized a crane that was actively being used for illegal mining. The driver of the crane managed to flee the scene. He apparently alerted other individuals involved in the mining operations.
A large group of locals associated with the mining activity soon arrived at the location. They began hurling stones at the forest department personnel and their vehicles. Three official vehicles sustained significant damage during this assault. The forest staff had a narrow escape from serious injury.
Crane Recovered and Re-seized
In the chaos, the agitated locals managed to free the crane that had been seized by the forest officers. Police were informed about the stone-pelting incident and rushed to the spot. Upon arrival, they recovered the crane from the villagers' possession.
The police have since delivered the seized crane to the forest department nursery located in Baroli. Authorities have registered a formal case against unknown persons for the attack involving stone pelting. The investigation into the violent incident is now ongoing.
