Miscreants attack mine owner's son

This file photo shows Survey of India officials inspecting mining areas in Andhra Pradesh. Three mine owners, on whose plea the Supreme Court stayed mining operations of a company owned by Karnataka's Reddy brothers, were attacked on Monday when they were waiting to meet the officials in Bellary.

In a broad daylight incident here, a group of miscreants on Monday attacked Tapal Ganesh, son of a mine owner, who has been fighting against alleged illegal mining by the Reddy brothers on the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border.

Mr. Ganesh sustained severe injuries and had one of his hands fractured. His nephew Vinod also suffered injuries in the attack on the busy Parvatinagar Main Road. Two presspersons, including one from the Suvarna 24 X 7 news channel, were beaten up.

All this happened in a jiffy in filmy style. The unidentified miscreants, armed with sticks, got down from a car and attacked Ganesh and others and fled the scene. Prior to that, the Tapal brothers and their relatives saw two motorcycle-borne youths doing rounds near a hotel.

Tapal Ekambaram, brother of Mr. Ganesh, told

The Hindu that he, along with his brothers (Mr. Ganesh and Chandrashekar) and a few journalists, had been waiting near Bala Regency, where Survey of India officials were holding discussions with State Forest department officials on a survey of mining areas in Anantapur district as directed by the Supreme Court. As the meeting prolonged, Tapal Ganesh and others decided to have tea at a nearby stall, where the attack took place.

The injured were shifted to the VIMS hospital.

The Tapal brothers accused Tourism Minister G. Janardhan Reddy of being behind the attack. They alleged that Mr. Reddy, apprehending that the ongoing survey would reveal the truth, including encroachments on mining areas allegedly by the Obulapuram Mining Company owned by him, had planned the attack.

“The attack on me was instigated by Janardhan Reddy. Unable to fight the battle legally, he got me targeted by the miscreants, Mr. Ganesh told The Hindu at the hospital.