Block Land & Land Reforms Officer, 5 others attacked by sand mafia

Kolkata: Six persons including the Block Land and Land Reforms Officer (BLLRO) of Paschim Burdwan's Kanksa were injured after they were attacked by the henchmen of some sand mafia on Wednesday morning.

No one has been arrested yet in this connection. The police have begun a massive manhunt though for the criminals. Acting on a tip off, Siddhartha Majumdar, the BLLRO along with his staff went to Satkahaniya ghat area where the henchmen of some sand mafia were excavating sand on River Ajay. On facing resistance, around 40 sand lifters attacked Majumdar and his team with iron rods and sticks. The right hand of Majumdar's driver got fractured in the process.

A large contingent of police reached the spot but by then the miscreants had fled. The cops took the injured persons to the hospital where they received treatment.

It may be recalled that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has over and again instructed the district administration to take stringent action against the sand mafias.

Accordingly, the Paschim Midnapore district administration took several steps against illegal lifting of sand. However, despite the measures, the sand mafias are still very active in certain areas.

The Chief Minister has also threatened her party leaders and workers of stern action if they are caught having any links with the sand mafias.

The latter are very active in both West and East Burdwan and have deployed hundreds of workers.

Though the police and district administration have intensified vigil, the mafias still carry on their operations openly.