Budgam April 28 (KNS): Police has registered an FIR against two persons for illegal sand mining in a forest area of Chalyan village in Charar Sharief area of District Budgam. The police acted after a formal complaint was filed by the Doodh Ganga Forest Range Chadoora against two accused Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat a resident of Chera Khal Watkaloo under PS Chararsharief and Bashir Ahmad Wagay a resident of Chowdhary Gund , Chadoora. The accused persons had been involved in illegal sand mining on the forest land in Darwan and Chalyan areas of Doodh Ganga Forest Range. The accused had been using JCB Machine to excavate the sand and clay for a long time and during recent Pahalgam killings they became more active as police and administration was busy in maintaining the law and order situation.

FIR No 26 / 2025 dated 28.04.2025 has been registered in Police station Chararsharief Budgam for theft and damaging the forest property under sections 303 (2) BNS and Section 26 of Indian Forest Act 1926

“ I am grateful to DFO Pir Panjal Forest Division Budgam , Range Officer and SHO Chararsharief for registering FIR against the accused.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelI also appreciated Chief Conservator Forests CCF Irfan Rasool for personally intervening into this matter. It is a matter of shame for such criminals who preferred to loot the forest area and extract sand at a time when the entire country was mourning the massacre of 28 tourists. The accused should be taken to task and their JCB and tipper should be confiscated. The officials of Geology and Mining Department should also be taken to task and environmental compensation realised from them” said Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat, a noted environmental activist. Pertinently Dr Raja Muzaffar had highlighted this issue some days back on social media and had written a detailed article on it as well and had brought the matter into notice of CCF Kashmir and DFO Budgam (KNS)