Woman Mining Officer Harassed During Illegal Mining Inspection: Three Arrested | Lucknow News – Times of India

Lucknow: A woman mining officer, 29, was allegedly subjected to sexual harassment when she went out to check illegal mining in Sitapur’s Ramkot area. Associates of the mining mafia allegedly damaged her mobile phone and subjected her to verbal and sexual harassment while her security personnel were thrashed.
Following her complaint, police arrested three people, including a dumper driver, Akash, a JCB driver, Raj Kumar, and their associate, Narendra Pal, in connection with the incident that occurred on November 6. The arrests were made on Wednesday night, and they were sent to jail on Thursday.
Ramkot SHO Balwant Shahi said that efforts are underway to arrest two more accused people involved in the case, identified as Arijit Shukla and Diwakar Prasad. “As soon as we got the complaint, we registered the FIR on November 12 and instantly formed teams to make the arrests,” he said.
The incident has caught the attention of the SC/ST Commission, which has taken cognisance of the harassment claims and sought a detailed report from district magistrate Abhishek Anand. In response, the DM has established a four-member committee to investigate the matter.
According to the FIR, the woman mining officer alleged that she received a tip-off about illegal soil mining. Acting on a tip-off about unauthorised soil mining and transportation, the woman officer, accompanied by two home guards, conducted a surprise inspection in Dhanaikheda village around 1 am on November 6.
“At the site, they found a JCB, a dumper, and a tractor without a number plate engaged in mining outside the sanctioned area. The permit allowed mining only during daytime between October 26 and November 24,” the FIR said.
Upon questioning, the JCB operator revealed that the illegal activity was being overseen by one Arjit Shukla. Shortly afterwards, Shukla arrived at the site with four associates and allegedly snatched the mining officer’s phone, smashed it, and pushed her, causing her to fall. The officer also alleged verbal abuse and physical harassment by the group.
“When her team tried to intervene, the accused threatened them with dire consequences and attempted to seize their phones,” the FIR said. The officer said that the accused also hurled abusive language and issued death threats. Later, fearing for her safety, the woman mining officer informed her seniors in Lucknow about the incident, who then persuaded the officer to get an FIR lodged, the police said.