Illegal sand mining issue reaches Punjab Raj Bhavan; advocate Simranjeet Kaur Gill complains of attack by sand mafia
Illegal sand mining continues.
Illegal mining is continuously going on in Punjab, the areas of Ludhiana, Anandpur Sahib, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur often remain a topic of discussion. It becomes difficult to even leave these areas in the evening. Many teepars and trolleys are seen engaged in illegal mining work.
Advocate Simranjeet Kaur Gill, who was allegedly attacked by the sand mafia in Sahnewal under Ludhiana district on Thursday, met Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria in Chandigarh on Friday afternoon.
Talking to Media Person’s, Gill said, “Gaunsgarh is my native village (under Sahnewal Assembly seat) and I am concerned about the illegal mining going on in this area. On Thursday, I was doing a legal awareness seminar in a Sahnewal village when I got a call from a woman in Gaunsgarh seeking legal help. And when I reached the village near a hatchery… I, along with other villagers, were attacked by the goons.”
Recounting the attack on her, Gill said, “On 17.04.2025, goons associated with the sand mafia attacked me in large numbers. I was thrown to the ground and brutally beaten – I was kicked in the stomach, my hair was pulled, and I was physically assaulted in a humiliating manner. While trying to escape on a motorcycle, I was chased and attacked again. One assailant tried to strike me with a kirpan (sword), and in self-defence, I raised my arm, which resulted in a deep injury that required 15 stitches and may have fractured the bone.
“Several innocent people were also injured… We sustained serious injuries, broken bones, and wounds on the head and body. We have video evidence and other proof of this attack, but the administration is supporting the sand mafia.”
“We demand strict action against the sand mafia, the administrative officers supporting them, and the local MLA and ministers involved… The Environmental Clearance (EC) of the sand mining site should be cancelled, as they are continuously violating its terms,” the BJP memorandum stated.
Gill has got the support of panchayat members and sarpanches of several villages – Gaunsgarh, Gadhapur, Khwajke, Mangat, Boothgarh, Rawat, Hawas, and Mangli – under the Sahnewal Assembly constituency. They also released video footage of the purported attack.
Protesting against illegal mining, residents of these villages blocked a road in Gaunsgarh village on March 2, 2025, and stopped mining vehicles from plying. During the protest, the police detained some protesters and later booked them.
“When villagers refused to compromise with the mining mafia, DCP Prabhjot Singh Virk, ACP Sumit Sood, SHO Meharban, and… officials from the PWD and Mining Department came to the protest site.
They appealed to the villagers to call off the protest and assured them that the FIRs would be cancelled. Mining operations remained shut until 04.04.2025, but have now resumed illegally, and heavy vehicles are again using rural roads. The FIRs have still not been cancelled,” Jai Inder Kaur mentioned in the memorandum.
BJP spokesperson Baliawal said, “A special investigation team should be constituted to investigate the entire mining mafia operating in the area, which has been going on despite public resistance. The rural roads should be repaired.”
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When contacted to Swapan Sharma, Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, he said, “We have recorded the statements of complainants and an FIR has already been lodged (in relation to Thursday’s attack). Justice will be served as per law, and no one will be spared.”
Reacting to Sharma’s statement, Gill said, “I am not aware that an FIR has been lodged or not as I am yet to get a copy of the FIR… but the police took some steps only when we met the governor.”