GUWAHATI, Jan 1 - Acting on the complaint filed by senior journalist Apurba Ballav Goswami on the illegal stone mining activities in Karbi Anglong hills, the State Police Accountability Commission has issued notices to the superintendents of police, Karbi Anglong and Golaghat, calling for reports from them on such activities and actions taken against the perpetrators of such crimes.
The Commission has asked the SPs to submit detailed reports on or before January 28, 2019, together with all relevant records like General Diary Entry reference, arrest memo, seizure list, medical report and call records related to the alleged illegal stone mining activities in Karbi Anglong hills. Further, the Commission has warned that in the event of any default on the part of the SPs of Karbi Anglong and Golaghat, it �may proceed to take such action it deems proper.�
It needs mention here that Goswami has been lodging complaints with the Karbi Anglong district police authorities praying for legal actions against illegal stone mining activities in Karbi Anglong hills. He told this newspaper that stone mining activities in the Karbi Anglong hills, adjacent to Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve have been posing serious threat to the wildlife, and the districts of Karbi Anglong and Golaghat, besides the neighbouring state of Nagaland.
This has also led to the growing incidents of man-animal conflict in several areas adjacent to Kaziranga and the two districts.
Goswami on November 30, 2018, wrote to Karbi Anglong SP, through the Golaghat SP, requesting legal actions to stop illegal mining activities in Karbi Anglong hills. He also named the main accused involved in such activities in his complaint.
Since it failed to evoke any action from the SP of the district, Goswami filed a complaint with the officer in-charge (OC) of Dalamara police station, Karbi Anglong, in whose area such illegal activities are going on. But the Dalamara OC registered the case (No. 09/2018) under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code. This section is in no way connected with his complaint, Goswami said.
Irked at such behaviour on the part of the Karbi Anglong police in matters of taking proper steps to bring an end to illegal stone mining activities, Goswami on December 10, 2018, moved the Police Accountability Commission.
