Patna: A man was allegedly buried alive in a pit after he protested the illegal sand mining being carried out on his farmland located along the sandy beds of a river in Bihar. The said river, known as Falgu, remains dry all around the year except for the rainy season.
The incident took place at Mathiapar village which falls under Telhara police station in Nalanda, home district of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, on Tuesday night. The police registered a case on Wednesday.
Reports quoting police officials said a group of people were taking away the sand spread over his farm land when the farmer who was asleep in his home with his family was informed about it.
The farmer, identified as Rajendra Yadav, along with his son rushed to his field in the dead of the night and tried to stop the illegal mining of sand which infuriated the gang.
“When my father opposed the mining, the gang pushed him into the sand pit and covered it with the sand,” the victim’s son Sanjay Yadav told the police. “They would have buried me too had I not fled the scene.”
The police have begun investigation and raids are on to nab the culprits. “We are gathering details about the incident and action will be taken against the culprits,” local district magistrate Tyagrajan SM told the media on Thursday.
Illegal sand mining is quite common in Bihar despite the authorities initiating various measures to check its smuggle. Sand is vital for construction industry and has been very high in demand in Bihar where construction industry has boomed in recent years. It’s the growing construction industry which is said to be the main factor behind pushing up state’s growth rate.
