A Rajasthan Police constable was seriously injured after a tractor-trolley allegedly carrying illegally mined gravel struck and ran over his leg in Sawai Madhopur district on Tuesday, 7 October 2025. The incident, which took place on Bhedola Road in the Chauth Ka Barwara police station area at around 9 am, is the latest in a string of attacks on enforcement personnel confronting the illegal sand and gravel mining network in Rajasthan.

How the Attack Unfolded

Constable Surendra Singh and fellow personnel from Chauth Ka Barwara police station were returning from a routine patrol when they spotted a suspicious tractor-trolley approaching at high speed. Singh signalled the driver to stop. The driver allegedly accelerated instead, striking the constable and causing the vehicle's wheel to run over his leg, leaving him critically injured.

An elderly woman, approximately 85-year-old Jumi, was also struck while walking along the roadside carrying fodder for livestock. Both injured persons were taken to a nearby Community Health Centre (CHC) with the help of local residents. The constable, in critical condition, was subsequently referred to the district hospital and later shifted to Jaipur for further treatment. The driver fled the scene with the tractor-trolley and remains absconding.

FIR Registered, Raids Under Way

Ajit Kumar, Station House Officer of Chauth Ka Barwara police station, confirmed that a case has been registered covering the alleged attempt to run over the constable as well as the illegal mining and transportation of gravel. Police teams are conducting raids across surrounding areas to trace and apprehend the driver.

Pattern of Violence Against Enforcement Teams

The Sawai Madhopur attack is not an isolated incident. Just days earlier, Forest Ranger Pratap Singh Chundawat was allegedly run over by a dumper truck while attempting to stop illegal mining operations in Pratapgarh on the night of 21 September. The Rajasthan government submitted a report on that incident during ongoing Supreme Court proceedings on illegal mining in the region.

Notably, the Supreme Court recently granted Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh two weeks to comply with directions banning illegal mining in the Chambal river region and to file compliance reports. A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Augustine George Masih, and Justice Sandeep Mehta is hearing the matter. The recurrence of attacks despite heightened judicial scrutiny signals a deeply entrenched enforcement challenge across the region.

Broader Context: Chambal's Illegal Mining Crisis

The Chambal belt — spanning parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh — has long been identified as a hotspot for illegal sand and gravel extraction. Enforcement teams have repeatedly faced physical obstruction, intimidation, and, increasingly, deliberate vehicular assault. Critics argue that the violence reflects the political and economic muscle of the sand mafia, which operates with near-impunity in several districts despite court orders and government crackdowns.

The sequence of incidents — a forest ranger killed in Pratapgarh, a constable critically injured in Sawai Madhopur within weeks — points to an escalating pattern that state authorities and the Supreme Court will need to address with structural rather than reactive measures.