The Supreme Court of India on Thursday agreed to urgently hear an application concerning the brutal killing of a 35-year-old forest guard, who was allegedly mowed down by a tractor-trolley operated by illegal sand miners in Madhya Pradesh.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta scheduled the matter for hearing on April 13, acknowledging the “grave” nature of the incident. The application was moved by the court-appointed amicus curiae within a pending suo motu case titled ‘In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife’.
The tragedy occurred on Wednesday morning in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh. According to police reports, forest guard Harkesh Gurjar, who was part of a patrolling team, attempted to intercept a sand-laden tractor-trolley on National Highway-552 near Ranpur village.
The driver of the vehicle allegedly refused to stop and intentionally ran over Gurjar, killing him on the spot. The counsel representing the amicus curiae informed the bench that the application was filed to “alert your lordships about a very grave incident that occurred yesterday when a forest guard was murdered.”
Upon being briefed on the murder, the bench remarked that this was not an isolated event. “There have been a few more incidents. You will find some very grave incidents,” the Justices observed while agreeing to move the hearing forward from its original May 11 schedule.
The Supreme Court has been monitoring illegal activities in the National Chambal Sanctuary since March 13, when it took suo motu cognisance of news reports detailing rampant mining. On April 2, the court had issued a scathing criticism of the Rajasthan government for “facilitating” such activities and stayed a notification that sought to de-notify 732 hectares of the sanctuary. During that hearing, the bench characterized the “mining mafia” as “dacoits” and noted that several government officials, including policemen and sub-divisional magistrates, had lost their lives to these cartels.
The National Chambal Sanctuary is a critical 5,400 sq km tri-state protected area spanning Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. It serves as a vital habitat for several endangered species, including:
- Gharial (long-snouted crocodile)
- Ganges River Dolphin
- Red-crowned roof turtle
The court had previously noted on March 20 that illegal sand mining was leading to the systematic destruction of the habitats of these aquatic animals.
