A forest ranger was killed in Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh district after he was allegedly hit and dragged by a dumper while trying to stop illegal mining, officials said. The incident occurred late Monday night in the Chhoti Sadri forest area, where Forest Ranger Pratap Singh Chundawat had gone with a forest guard after receiving information about unauthorised mining.
Officials said Chundawat attempted to stop a dumper transporting soil when the vehicle allegedly struck him and dragged both him and his motorcycle for several metres.
The driver reportedly fled the scene after the incident. Chundawat suffered critical injuries and was taken to a hospital before being referred to the district hospital in Nimbahera, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Divisional Forest Officer Suresh Chandra Agarwal said the Forest Department had received information about illegal mining in the forest area and sent a team to take action.
During the operation, officials seized a JCB earth-moving machine and a tractor, while the dumper involved in the incident had not yet been located.
“A JCB and a tractor have been seized and dumper is yet to be seized. We are investigating the incident and taking necessary action,” Agarwal said.
Officials said the dumper driver and the JCB operator allegedly involved in the excavation escaped following the incident.
A search operation has been launched to trace the dumper and identify and arrest those responsible. Several Forest Department officials also visited the site as the department began investigating the incident.
Agarwal said the department had requested that Chundawat be granted “martyr” status in recognition of his death while performing his official duties.
Police officials declined to comment, saying they were deployed for local body election duty.
The ranger’s death also prompted a political response in the state. Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra expressed condolences and raised questions over the law-and-order situation.
“The news of the brutal crushing of Forest Department Ranger Pratap Singh Chundawat ji by a dumper while he was in Pratapgarh's Chhotisadri to stop illegal mining, and his subsequent death during treatment, is extremely heartbreaking,” Dotasra said.
He described the incident as more than the death of an officer, calling it a challenge to Rajasthan’s law-and-order system. He also questioned how the state’s mining mafia had allegedly become so emboldened that officials could be killed while carrying out their duties.
Dotasra further alleged that the BJP government was focused on “looting” public mandates and “murdering democracy”, while law and order and controlling the mining mafia were not among its priorities.
The Forest Department’s investigation is expected to concentrate on locating the dumper and its driver, establishing the circumstances of the alleged illegal excavation and determining responsibility for Chundawat’s death.
Further action is expected after the people involved are identified and the investigation moves forward.
