A gang of sand smugglers made an attempt to kill a
revenue inspector and three village assistants by running them over with
a tractor near Shoolagiri in Krishnagiri district in the early hours of
Wednesday.
The police have registered a case of
attempt to murder against eight persons, including a functionary of the
Pattali Makkal Katchi. Three persons have been arrested, while the
others, including the PMK functionary, fled the spot.
In
a complaint lodged with the Shoolagiri Police, the revenue inspector,
P. Ramamurthy, said that the gang tried to run them over with the
tractor when they tried to prevent illegal mining of sand from
Kuralthotti Lake in Sembarasalli panchayat.
On a
tip-off, the officials rushed to the spot on three motorcycles. As they
neared the lake, the gang escaped with sand in two tractors.
They
spotted one of the tractors on an agriculture field and immediately
informed the Shoolagiri police station. Mr. Ramamurthy alleged that
before the arrival of the police, the gang led by the PMK functionary
rushed towards him and used abusive language. One of the gang members
punched the RI in the face. Immediately, the sand was unloaded and the
tractor driven towards the officials. He and the others managed to
escape from coming under the tractor, Mr. Ramamurthy said.
The
arrested were remanded in judicial custody. Later, over 200 members of
the Tamil Nadu Revenue Officials Association staged a demonstration near
the Collectorate demanding that the administration invoke Goondas Act
against the attackers.
