A television journalist who had exposed illegal mining activities in riverbeds in Morowala area in Dehradun district a few months ago, was allegedly severely beaten by the local Pradhan and its aides in Clement Town area. He is reported to have received internal injury. Admitted at a hospital, he is now being kept under observation of the doctors attending him, it is learnt.
Clement Town police station in-charge sub-inspector Naresh Rathore said on Thursday that the incident had occurred on Wednesday evening. A TV journalist Ikram has registered a complaint in the police station and a case under sections 147/323/506/342/392 of IPC was registered against Morowala Pradhan Tashim and five others in Clement Town police station. Team formed is now investigating the case, he added.
However, Pradhan Tashim has been absconding with police being on his trails.
Police sources said that TV reporter Ikram had covered a story a few days ago, highlighting illegal mining activities being done at the behest of Pradhan and some others in the riverbeds in Morowala area. Based on the report and local residents’ complaints, the administration had seized the mining plot. However, unfazed, the Pradhan allegedly continued lifting riverbed materials from the plot, sources said.
As the TV reporter again reached the mining site on Wednesday for coverage with the illegal mining being on in the area, the Pradhan and his aides allegedly beat him up black and blue. His camera and bike were allegedly damaged too.
Eye witnesses said that the enraged Pradhan and his henchmen had tied the reporter’s hands and dragged him to the police station. Pradhan had allegedly showed some photos to police that showed the audio-visual media journalist stealing wires in the area.
Critics opine that the incident has laid bare the fact that menace of illegal mining has been continuing in full swing at the behest of the locally powerful persons. This, despite the Dehradun district administration boasting of having taken several measures to check it, they say.
However, this is not the first time that the journalists are attacked by the illegal mining operators. A number of journalists and even administrative officers have been attacked by the mining mafias in the recent past. “This shows how powerful they are. And in most of such cases, they get away with the crimes with police and administration failing to defang them. It is clear that they have share in the mining pie,” said a observer.