DC Priyanka Mary Manhandled by Sand miners at Kandlur

DC Priyanka Mary Manhandled by Sand miners at Kandlur

Update: Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis shares the extracts on the operation on launched in Kandlur and Halnadu.

Udupi: Illegal sand mining is at the peak in the district, barring the orders from the district administration, the sand mafia is operating illegally in the district. The grave issues of illegal sand mining are raised during the ZP and KDP meetings by ZP members and other stakeholders.

Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis a no-nonsense IAS officer known for her effective administration in the Zilla Panchayat has ensured that stringent vigil is kept on the illegal sand mining. To support her efforts assistant commissioner Shilpa Nag IAS has intensified the battle on sand mining by launching regular operations in this regard.

As the complaints on illegal sand mining keep buzzing, deputy commissioner along with the assistant commissioner decided to raid the illegal sand mining areas. Deputy Commissioner together with the assistant commissioner, with a contractual basis driver and gunman, visited the illegal sand mining areas in the night at 10:00 pm on Sunday, April 2. The assistant commissioner was also accompanied by her husband.

They first visited Halnadu where sand mining is rampant. At Halnadu they noticed that they were followed by a few bike riders. The drivers operating sand transportation vehicles which were in Halnadu soon managed to escape, the keys of the vehicles were seized and six persons present in Halnadu near sand mining area were detained and subjected to investigation by the Kundapur Police.

DC Priyanka then moved to Kandlur, where about another 20 bike riders started to follow her vehicle. At Kandlur Bridge the sand miners managed to escape seeing the deputy commissioner arriving near their tents. The deputy commissioner’s driver and gunman followed the labourers who were trying to escape. The labourers managed to get shelter in the houses nearby. The women, elderly and the bike riders soon gheraoed the deputy commissioner, assistant commissioner and their team threatened them. About 60 people present there even threatened the deputy commissioner of setting their vehicles on fire, manhandled and also threatened to our lives. The deputy commissioner managed to convince the group saying that she was the deputy commissioner but the group used foul language against the deputy commissioner. The driver and the gunman were assaulted and the village accountant of Anjaru who came to their rescue was also assaulted. The husband of assistant commissioner also witnessed the ongoing drama of the 60 member group.

When deputy commissioner was asked why she had not approached the police during the operation she said, “Whenever the operation together with police had been launched the people involved in the sand mining managed to escape. The district administration was subjected to ire following the illegal sand mining”. It was a calculated risk taken by the deputy commissioner without approaching the police department to assess illegal sand mining.

She further said, “I will register a FIR in the Udupi town police station following the attempt on the lives of the team which raided the illegal sand mining. I have also instructed the village accountant to register a FIR in Kundapur. I have also gathered evidence of threats and pictures which will be submitted to the police. The people present there were speaking in Kannada. I have lodged a FIR at the Udupi town police station”.

District Superintendent of Police K T Balakrishna who visited the Town Police station said that 6 members have been arrested. ASP Vishnuvardhan and Kundapur DySP Praveen Nayak have visited the spot.

The sand mafia’s threats on officials witnessed in Udupi needs to be tackled with stringent action. The government needs to intervene and act against the illegal sand mining mafia.

DC Priyanka Mary Manhandled by Sand miners at Kandlur

Udupi: There were continuous reports on the media about the sand mining which was rampant in the Kundapur area. Deputy commissioner Priyanka Mary was very much curious to find out about the illegal sand mining and decided to raid the area during the night.

On April 2 late night, Priyanka Mary along with Assistant commissioner Shilpa Nag, Nag’s Husband, DC’s gunman Prithviraj Jogi and the driver went to the sand mining area. First, they visited the sand mining area at Hallnadu and found only one tent in the area. Immediately she informed the Kundapur police to file a complaint. The Kundapur Police took six persons in their custody.

Priyanka Mary continued her raid further and reached Kandlur where she found 7 tents and a number of men extracting sand illegally. When the sand miners noticed the DC’s vehicle, they got together and manhandled DC Priyanka Mary and her team. They also attempted to set the DC’s vehicle on fire.

Priyanka Mary immediately informed the Kundapur police. Since the area is quite a distance from the Kundapur police station, the police were unable to reach the spot. So DC Priyanka Mary without waiting for the police left the spot along with her team.

She is now on her way back to the town police station and will brief the media in this regard.