Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday ordered a judicial probe into the murder of IPS officer Narendra Kumar Singh, who was crushed to death allegedly by a member of the mining mafia in Morena district.
“We salute the young IPS officer for his daredevilry in checking illegal mining. We have ordered a judicial probe into the incident,” Mr. Chouhan told reporters after reviewing the matter with chief secretary Avni Vaish and DGP Nandan Dubey at the Secretariat.
He said the government was dealing with illegal mining in the state in a tough manner and added that the young officer was also doing the same as part of the government stand.
“We stand by his family in this hour of grief and whatever help is needed would be given to them,” he said.
The judicial probe will reveal all the facts behind the incident, he added.
Mr. Chouhan further said that the opposition Congress should refrain from politicising the issue.
By talking about illegal mining at this juncture, the Congress is giving a bad name to the state, he added.
‘Murder not pre-planned’
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Chambal Range, D.P. Gupta said the murder of the IPS officer does not appear “pre-planned” at this stage.
No mobile phone has been recovered from Manoj Gurjar, the driver of the tractor-trolley under which the 30-year-old IPS officer was crushed to death at Banmore in Morena district yesterday, he said.
Still, police are trying to trace the mobile phone, if any, on which Manoj might have received instructions to kill the officer, Mr. Gupta said.
The 2009-batch officer was posted at Banmore as Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) a month ago and had taken on the mining mafia by seizing number of trucks and tractors engaged in illegal quarrying.
Narrating the sequence of events of the crime, the DIG said the tractor-trolley carrying boulders was stopped by the officer. However, minutes after it came to a halt, the driver Manoj Gurjar restarted it even as Singh clung on to it.
Mr. Gupta further said that Manoj then drove the tractor in such a way that the officer lost his grip and came under one of the wheels of the vehicle.
“After this, the trolley carrying stones tipped over him and he was crushed under it,” he said.
The DIG dismissed the reports of political pressure, saying, “There is no question of doing so as we have lost a young and dynamic member of our family.”
Meanwhile, Singh’s father Keshav Singh, who spoke from his native village in Uttar Pradesh, claimed that his son used to tell him that although he wanted to do a lot of work, he did not receive desired cooperation from police officers.
The officer was cremated at his native village, 50 km from Mathura, with full State honours in the presence of thousands of mourners.
