Viral Sach: Muslim policeman transferred for checking illegal sand mining in UP?

NEW DELHI: After the Yogi Aadityanath government issued direction to the authorities to check illegal mining, an audio of a woman SHO of Sitapur (UP) rebuking a sub-inspector for obstructing a vehicle carrying sand has gone viral on social media. It's claimed that Ranjana Sachan, incharge Maholi Police station in Sitapur, threatened to get sub-inspector Salim Malik transferred for checking illegal mining of sand. According to a message, widely circulated on social media, Sachan had asked Malik not to check vehicles carrying illegally mined sand as she wanted to protect mining mafia. "On April 4, an honest 'Muslim' sub-inspector payed the price of not obeying the command of his senior and was later transferred," message alleged. To ascertain the truth, we reached Sitapur and contacted the superintendent of police (SP) Saumitra Yadav. "Based on the conversation in the audio clip that went viral on social media, we have directed a senior official to probe the matter. Action will be initiated after he'll will submit the report," Yadav said. However, it was revealed that Malik's transfer was done before the audio clip went viral but after the matter surfaced Sachan was sent to Sitapur from Maholi. Illegal mining is a well organised activity in Uttar Pradesh. One of the decisions that Yogi Adityanath took after assuming chief minister's office was a crackdown on illegal sand mining. He also made district magistrates and district police chiefs directly accountable for monitoring it.