Panic in Mewat after DSP Surender Singh's death, miners flee

Gurugram, July 19

The murder of DSP Surender Singh has created panic in 100 villages in Mewat.

The villagers have been dependent on illegal mining since generations. Fearing police crackdown over the next few days, the men have shut operations, parked their dumpers and fled villages.

“This is a big issue and the police will now go after everybody. Ever since the court order issued in May, the police have been coming to the villages frequently. Many villagers have also been booked. We don’t want to be caught in fire and that is why we are fleeing,” said 29-year-old Jamaal Khan.

Khan is a resident of Kharak Jalalpur village which reportedly earns its livelihood from mining.

“We know what illegal mining is and we have been playing hide and seek with the police for years. But we cannot kill our children of starvation. This is what we do for living as there are no other opportunities for employment. We are not very educated and have no factories here. Our forefathers thrived in this and so will we,” Khan added.

The village is not lone one. Many others still continue to be employed in illegal mining operations as family occupation for the lack of livelihood avenues in their villages.

These villages run on simple economics. All men work together and make a living between Rs 7 to 10 lakh at a site distributed according to the number of dumpers supplied. The miners come to villages every few months to pick up workers. The salaries include compensation for the police actions and payment for not putting the employers in trouble with the police. — TNS

Border jurisdiction a boon for miners

• The Aravalli hills are on border of Haryana and Rajasthan. Both states have different approach in dealing with mining
• In many cases, the miners manage to evade the police of one state by jumping the border
• There have been repeated demands for a joint anti-mining police team, but nothing has materialised so far

#gurugram #illegal mining #Mewat