SAD appeals to Governor to give hearing to villagers who have spoken out against illegal mining being done by AAP MLA and his family during visit to Amritsar

Published on: 09 Oct 2023 at 06:14 PM

Published by: The fact news

The Fact News Service

Chandigarh, October 9

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today appealed to Governor Banwarilal Purohit to give a hearing to villagers who have spoken out against illegal mining being done in the border belt of the State, particularly that done by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Manjinder Singh Lalpura and his family.

In a letter to the Governor here, senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia also appealed to the Governor to take stock of the situation during his visit to Amritsar and grant an audience to villagers who were affected due to the illegal mining activity of the AAP legislator and hear their account. Majithia said the villagers had earlier come out openly against the AAP legislator’s brother-in-law Nishan Singh and produced pictures and videos to prove that the latter indulged in illegal mining on a regular basis. He said pictures of Nishan’s house where JCB machines and other mining equipment are parked regularly were also in the public realm. “The villagers have also accused the AAP legislator of using his police escort vehicle and security personnel to indulge in illegal mining”, the Akali leader briefed the Governor.

Giving details of the case, Bikram Majithia said the AAP MLA’s brother-in-law was arrested for indulging in illegal mining following a raid conducted by the Tarn Taran police on the orders of then SSP Gurmeet Singh Chauhan. He said following the legislator started a slander campaign against the SSP which finally resulted in the transfer of the decorated police officer from the district and the suspension of five police personnel who had dealt a severe blow to illegal mining in the area.

Asserting that Punjabis were expecting not only strict action as per law against Nishan Singh but also the AAP legislator who is the kingpin of the illegal sand mining mafia in the border belt, Majithia said “now it had also come out that Nishan Singh did not spend a single day in jail and that he had been lodged in hospital and provided VVIP facilities. He is now out on bail”.

Majithia told the Governor that inaction against the AAP legislator and wrongful action against Punjab police personnel in the case had sent a wrong message to the public. “The mining mafia has gotten even more emboldened and illegal mining across the entire border belt has increased in the last fortnight. AAP legislators have given clear directions to SHOs that they should not take action against illegal mining. The manner in which Gurmeet Singh Chauhan was transferred from Tarn Taran has also shaken the confidence of the police force to go after the sand mafia”, he added.

The former minister while briefing the Governor said “The SAD has already appealed to you to recommend a CBI probe into the matter so that the real culprits may be punished and the police personnel who have been wrongly suspended and transferred may be justly rewarded for taking action against the mining mafia”. He also charged AAP legislators with running illegal sand mining operations in Punjab and said they were being given protection by the State government. “The Punjab and Haryana high court has also pulled up Punjab police officials recently for failing to act against the kingpins behind illegal mining but its orders to check the activities of the sand mafia are being flouted with impunity by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government”.