Channi Hides in Tipper Truck for Midnight Raid on Ropar Mining Site, Alleges Illegal Sand Miningਚੰਨੀ ਨੇ ਟਿੱਪਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੁਕ ਕੇ ਰੋਪੜ ਮਾਈਨਿੰਗ ਸਾਈਟ 'ਤੇ ਅੱਧੀ ਰਾਤ ਨੂੰ ਮਾਰਿਆ ਛਾਪਾ

Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, now the Congress MP from Jalandhar, carried out a late-night surprise visit to a mining site near Anandpur Sahib in Ropar district on the intervening night of October 15 and 16, alleging that illegal extraction of sand and gravel was continuing at scale along the Sutlej riverbed. Channi reached the site hiding in the back of a tipper truck, accompanied by Ropar Congress leader Barinder Singh Dhillon and other party workers.

What did Channi say he found at the site?

According to Channi, mining was under way at around 1 am near the Saidpur and Beihera villages, with Poclain excavators digging sand and long queues of tipper trucks waiting to be loaded. In videos recorded during the visit, he said the operators had made tight security arrangements and claimed that no car or two-wheeler could reach the mining locations. He said some drivers fled on seeing him, abandoning machinery and equipment, while he stopped several other drivers and machines to ask about the operations.

Channi said he telephoned the Ropar Deputy Commissioner from the site, informed him of the alleged activity and asked for officials to be sent immediately. He alleged that no government or administrative official arrived for a considerable period despite the call, and accused officials of remaining asleep at home while the night-time trade continued.

What did he allege at his press conference?

Addressing a press conference at the Punjab Congress office on Friday, Channi claimed there were 200 illegal mining sites in Anandpur Sahib alone, resulting, he said, in a loss of several hundred crores of rupees a month to the state exchequer. He alleged the operation was being run under the supervision of the Aam Aadmi Party leadership and named several ministers and MLAs he claimed were involved. These are Channi's allegations: they have not been independently established, and The Indian Express reported that no immediate official response was available from the Ropar district administration, the state government or the AAP when its report was filed.

He also claimed that gravel being supplied to stone crushers was being shown on paper as acquired from Himachal Pradesh, with fake entry slips prepared for truck loads, even though, he said, there was a complete ban on the supply of raw material from Himachal Pradesh. In the ANI report of the same visit, Channi alleged that mining revenue was not reaching the state exchequer but going to AAP leaders and the Chief Minister, questioned the government's claim of generating around Rs 20,000 crore a year from mining, and alleged the AAP was using the proceeds to finance its election campaigns in other states.

What has Channi demanded?

Channi demanded that the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation expand their investigations into illegal mining to expose what he described as a scam. He called sand Punjab's white gold and said the trade was continuing under government patronage and with the complicity of officials. Illegal sand mining has been a recurring political charge in Punjab across governments, and Channi's midnight visit, filmed and released by the Congress, is the opposition's most direct attempt yet in this round to put the Mann government on the defensive over it.

Where did the alleged mining take place?

Near Saidpur and Beihera villages close to Anandpur Sahib in Ropar district, along the Sutlej riverbed, according to Channi's account reported by The Indian Express.

When did the visit happen?

On the intervening night of October 15 and 16. Channi said he reached the site close to midnight and found excavators at work at around 1 am.

Has the Punjab government responded to the allegations?

Not in the reports published so far. The Indian Express said no immediate official response was available from the Ropar administration, the state government or the AAP at the time of filing.

What probe has Channi demanded?

He has demanded that the ED and the CBI expand their investigations into illegal mining in Punjab.