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The journalist was ran over by a truck in MP. [Representational Image]Reuters

A 35-year-old television journalist investigating illegal sand mining cases in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh was mowed down by a truck Monday morning. The journalist Sandeep Sharma used to work for a regional news channel.

According to police officials, the victim was riding a motorbike on Ater Road near a police station in Bhind, when the truck used to transport sand, ran over him. The accident, which took place at around 9 am got captured on a CCTV camera.

Sharma died on the spot and the truck was found abandoned a few kilometers away.

After the accident, his nephew Vikas Purohit, filed a police complaint at the City Kotwali police, alleging that Sharma may have been murdered by the members of the sand mafia. The victim's nephew also referred to the death threats that Sharma had been receiving ever since he had carried out a sting operation on illegal sand mining.

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Sharma had exposed a sand mining mafia. (Representational Image)Creative Commons

"Sandeep had petitioned the Madhya Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP), Inspector General (IG), Superintendent of Police (SP) and the Human Rights Commission stating that he feared for his life and had demanded security," Purohit told PTI.

Purohit also said that after the sting operation on the sand mafia, the Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) was transferred. As a result, Sharma was being threatened by unidentified people.

Bhind SP Prashant Khare said that Sharma's petition to the authorities was being examined.

Meanwhile, the police have detained the truck driver and he is being interrogated, said The Times of India report.

'We have formed a Special Investigation Team to probe the entire incident. A case under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) has been registered," Khare added.

Here's the video of the accident:

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