A team of journalists from �The Times of India� and two environmental activists were attacked by unidentified youth belonging to a sand mining mafia near Bankot Creek in Raigad.
The vehicle they were travelling in was stopped and an attempt was made to ram into it. Three other vehicles surrounded it and a mob of around 15-20 persons then started smashing the vehicle�s windscreens. They smashed the rear window, the side mirror and side window. They then tried to snatch the camera from the TOI photographer but failed.
The mob also threatened to kill local activist Naseer Jalal who was in the vehicle and asked environmental activist Sumaira Abdulali not to visit the area again.
The Mahad police have registered a case of attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and rioting.
The 41-km-long Bankot Creek that passes through Raigad and Ratnagiri is Maharashtra�s own Sunderbans. The creek has a rich habitat for crocodiles, migratory birds, rich marine life and virgin mangroves which are about 15 feet high. The creek, however, is being choked by sand miners who operate as many as 14 sand-dredgers in a span of a kilometre, violating all CRZ norms.