Ten people were injured in Rajasthan’s Kotputli-Behror district after militants attacked and opened fire on villagers protesting against illegal mining in the Ajitpura-Kogeta belt on Monday, police said.
The incident sparked a state of panic in the area, prompting the massive deployment of police forces to prevent further escalation. The villagers said they had been protesting against illegal mining operations and blasting of deep pits near residential areas for weeks and had faced attempts to end their protests.
District police inspector Satveer Singh said the villagers were staging a sit-in to protest mining activities when some unidentified men opened fire on them.
“Ten people were injured in the accident. Three of them were referred to Jaipur due to the severity of their injuries,” the SP said.
Police said that two cartridge cases were recovered from the scene.
Singh added: “Whether all the injuries were caused by gunshot wounds will be confirmed only after receiving medical reports. Teams are searching for the accused.”
Police identified the three men who were seriously injured as Vinay Singh (26 years old), Deepak (29 years old), and Kalu Khan (65 years old). Others include Madan Verma (69), Sujan Chand (65), Dashrath (40), Karishma (16), Mahendra (46), Jagdish (60) and Kalu (60).
Local residents said the villagers had been protesting against the limestone mining company operating near residential settlements for 292 days.
The district administration removed the protesters and confiscated their materials on May 30, said Netaram Dhakad, a local resident. Following this, the villagers planned to submit a memorandum to the district administration on Monday morning before resuming their protests.
Witnesses said that while some protesters were near the site, a group of men arrived in three utility vehicles and launched an unprovoked attack. The attackers allegedly opened fire, threw stones, and smashed several motorcycles parked at the location before fleeing.
Nagaur district MP Hanuman Beniwal said the indiscriminate firing by mining mafia on villagers who raised their voices against illegal mining in Ajitpura-Kuguta area of Kotputli was an open challenge to the imposition of law and order.
“This incident exposes how daring the elements involved in illegal mining are and how insecure ordinary citizens feel about themselves,” the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party chief said in a post on X, calling it proof of the jungle raj prevailing in Rajasthan.
“I want to ask Rajasthan Chief Minister Shri @BhajanlalBjp that mining mafia has moved away after indiscriminate shooting of innocent villagers – when exactly will you take action against such mafia?” He said.
Police said efforts are being made to track down the attackers.
