JOIN USValiantly trying to stop illegal sand mining, a 21-year-old youth was instantly crushed to death by a moving lorry commanded by a sand-mining mafia gang in the Nambiar river-bed in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district in the wee hours of Sunday.
The ITI-trained Satish Kumar suffered fatal head injuries as the driver of the lorry, which was loading sand in the river-bed around 0230 am, rolled over the youth, killing him instantly on the spot, Police sources in Tirunelveli told ‘Deccan Herald’ over the phone.
Menace check
On coming to know that a sand-mining gang had driven into the Nambiar river-bed to scoop the precious earth material for carting away to neighbouring States, Satish Kumar, his friends, and some 20 people from the local Mittadarkulam village, were determined to stop the menace this time.
The villagers rushed to the spot from where river sand was being loaded on to the truck and tried to prevent the vehicle from leaving the spot, Police said.
But unmindful of the people, the vehicle sped away after it mercilessly mowed down a bravely resisting Satish Kumar, sources said, adding, an FIR based on a complaint by a village resident, Paul Pandi, has been registered.
As the news of this horrific hit-and-run incident spread, a large number of people from Mittadarkulam and nearby villages gathered round the blood splattered body of Satish Kumar.
Protests
The people staged a road-roko in the early hours and refused to leave the place, demanding that the culprits be brought to book immediately.
A Police party, hearing of the tragedy, rushed to the spot and persuaded the enraged villagers to leave, sources said, adding, 12 persons led by one Tenzing and his brother and lorry driver, Kingston, have been cited as accused in the FIR. Police have arrested one Arul, working as lorry cleaner and part of the gang, and are looking for 11 others wanted in this case.
DH News Service