It seems the state government and the police have met a dead end when it comes to curbing illegal mining. At one level, labourers are getting killed due to poor safety standards or mine collapses. At another level, when the police are asked to pull up socks against the mafia, they themselves are attacked. On Monday, in Asojai village on the outskirts of Jaipur, one mine worker was killed and three others injured when a portion of a mine collapsed. On the same day, a braveheart policeman was mowed down by mining mafia in Dholpur when he attempted to stop trucks carrying stones. In the past six months, the state has reported several incidents in which mining mafia got away after opening fire on the police parties in Alwar, Bharatpur and Dholpur districts. On May 17, eight labourers died in two mining mishaps in Alwar and Rajsamand districts. While the mishap in Alwar's Bhiwadi area took place in an illegal stone mine where five labourers died, in Rajsamand's Kelwa region three were crushed to death when a marble block came sliding upon them. The Alwar incident exposed the unabated illegal mining in the area despite the Supreme Court ban. Even after a fortnight later, the police have merely arrested two labourers working in that mines though the real culprits are still at large. "We had several meetings with the police officers of neighbouring Haryana to find those behind the illegal mining," said a police officer. After this incident, chief minister Ashok Gehlot had said that none involved in mining would be spared. Later, police in Alwar responding to the chief minister's statement reached Naknaul area on complaints of illegal mining. However, they had to literally run away from the spot when the mine workers pelted stones and also opened fire on the police team. Forget whether mining was stopped in the said area or not, police are yet to arrest those who pelted stones on them and opened fire. "The matter is under investigation. We have identified a few persons and will make arrests soon," said a senior police officer. When contacted, Sangram Gurjar, an RTI activist working against illegal mining, said: "Every kid in the region knows that illegal mining is rampant in Bhiwadi, Tapukada, Neemrana, Chopanki, Tijara, Gwalda, Udham Vas, Ramgarh, Kishangarh Bas and Rajgarh. In some areas, mining is close to the police outposts and police stations. But police are keeping a blind eye on it since majority of the mines are patronized by the politicians." The nexus between politicians and mining mafia was visible when former Bharatpur SP Vikas Kumar was shunted out when he started showing sincere efforts and getting results to curb illegal mining. The local politicians including Kaman MLA Zahida Khan persuaded the matter to the extent that finally Kumar was shunted out of the district. Even the licensed mines are guilty of conducting illegal operations. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Kumar Mishra and Justice Kailash Chandra Joshi had taken a serious note of the activities of marble miners in Makrana, where they even dug up the Jodhpur-Jaipur railway track. The judges in a case had even said: "If you are not stopped, you would dig up even the high court." The bench also ordered a CBI probe against the mining officials posted in the area.