Cattle smuggling pickup van mows down Ranchi woman cop

A woman police official engaged in a vehicle checking drive near the Jharkhand capital Ranchi was mowed down on Thursday by a pickup van allegedly involved in cattle smuggling, an officer said.

Sandhya Topno, a 32-year-old Sub Inspector of Police, was conducting the vehicle checking drive at Tupudana on the outskirts of Ranchi, when the speeding vehicle carrying cattle knocked her down and fled.

"She was immediately taken to Ranchi's RIMS (Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences). She succumbed to her injuries on the way to the hospital," Tupudana police station in charge Kanhaiya Singh told PTI.

Ranchi City SP Anshuman Kumar said that prima facie the matter seems to be a case of cattle smuggling.

"One person has been detained. The police are in search of others. Investigations are on," he said.

An eye-witness said that the SI raised her hand from a distance to stop the pickup van but the driver ran her over.

The incident occurred a day after a deputy superintendent of police probing illegal mining was killed in Haryana's Nuh district when a truck he had signalled to stop drove into him.

Meanwhile, the incident resulted in a war of words between Jharkhand's main opposition BJP and the ruling coalition partner Congress.

While the saffron party accused the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led coalition of patronising cattle smuggling, the Congress retorted by saying that the Bharatiya Janata Party was trying to lower the morale of the police by making irresponsible statements.

"There has been an increase in cow smuggling in Jharkhand ever since the Hemant Soren government has been formed. It is being done under the patronage of the ruling party. There is a breakdown of law and order in the state. The incident of Tupudana is an example of how the state is heading towards Jungle Raj," BJP state president and MP Deepak Prakash said.

He said that the government should immediately check cattle smuggling, or get ready to face the wrath of the people.

Retorting to the accusation, state Congress president Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said the police are committed to check crimes and the officer laid down her life while discharging duty.

"BJP leaders are trying to break the morale of the police by giving such irresponsible and objectionable statements," he said.