The suspension of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal is not an exception in view of the administrative suspensions and transfers that have taken place in cases where officials have acted against illegal sand mining in Uttar Pradesh.
Kaushambi Superintendent of Police Pratibha Ambedkar was transferred from the district in March 2012 after she instructed registration of cases against officials indulging in illegal activities in the Yamuna, where sand mining is rampant.
“She had filed a first information report on a complaint against the additional zila panchayat officer, who had falsely claimed a private ghat as part of government ferry or ghat,” a source said.
The FIR lodged by her on September 22, 2011, dealt with two Sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 120B (criminal conspiracy).
More recently, the Allahabad High Court rapped the administration for transferring senior IAS officer Himanshu Kumar. The Court referred to a nexus between the sand mining mafia and State officials leading to replacement of Mr. Kumar as the Allahabad Divisional Commissioner.
Mr. Kumar was reportedly transferred at the behest of illegal sand mining mafia operating in the Trans-Yamuna Shankargarh area of Allahabad. The silica sand in the area is one of the finest in the country and is widely used in manufacturing high quality glass.
The recent killing of Kunda Circle Officer Deputy Superintendent of Police Zia-ul-Haq in Pratapgarh has also been linked to his opposition to and seizing of illegally mined sand by the mafia. Haq was probing several cases of illegal sand mining involving some highly placed persons.
