Odisha youth fall into illegal sand mining pit, die

JAJPUR: Tensions mounted in Brahmabarada and Chandpur areas of Jajpur district following the death of an 18-year-old youth, Shaik Jalal, who allegedly drowned in a pit created by illegal sand mining in the bed of the Brahmani river.

Jalal, a student of a local high school, was reported missing on Wednesday after he went for a bath in the Brahmani River with his friend.

Eyewitnesses stated that his friend slipped into a deep well while bathing and Jalal dived in to save him. Although Jalal successfully saved his friend, he himself disappeared shortly after.

Despite extensive searches by local fire brigade and police, he could not be found. It was not until Thursday morning that his body was found floating near the bazaar ghat and retrieved by rescue personnel.

Angered by the indiscriminate mining that led to the accident, locals blocked the road on the Baruan-Balichandrapur route and buried Jalal’s body near the Brahmabarada Bridge on Friday afternoon. As a result, traffic on the road was paralyzed. The protest lasted for over an hour, with protesters drawing the attention of the authorities to the illegal sand mining activities that led to Jalal’s death. They demanded justice, action against the sand mafia and compensation for his family.

Brahmabarada police intervened to pacify the protesters. The road blockade was lifted after officials from Rasulpur tehsil assured that action would be taken against the sand miners.

That day, the police seized two machines used in illegal sand extraction.