Ten people were injured in Rajasthan’s Kotputli-Behror district after goons attacked and opened fire at villagers protesting against illegal mining in the Ajitpura-Kujeta belt on Monday, police said.(X/ShivcharanBalai)The incident triggered panic in the area, prompting the deployment of heavy police force to prevent further escalation. Villagers said they had been protesting against illegal mining and deep-hole blasting operations near residential areas for weeks and had faced attempts to end their protests.District superintendent of police (SP) Satveer Singh said the villagers were holding a sit-in protest against mining activities when some unidentified men opened fire on them.“Ten people were injured in the incident. Three of them have been referred to Jaipur due to the severity of their injuries,” the SP said.Police said two cartridge cases have been retrieved from the scene.“Whether all the injuries were caused by gunshots will be confirmed only after the medical reports are received. Teams are searching for the accused,” Singh added.The three men who sustained grievous injuries were identified by the police as Vinay Singh (26), Deepak (29), and Kalu Khan (65). The others include Madan Verma (69), Sugan Chand (65), Dashrath (40), Karishma (16), Mahendra (46), Jagdish (60), and Kalu (60).Local residents said the villagers had been protesting a limestone mining company operating close to residential settlements for the last 292 days.Netaram Dhakad, a local resident, said the district administration had removed the protesters and seized their material on May 30. Following this, the villagers planned to submit a memorandum to the district administration on Monday morning before resuming their agitation.Witnesses said that while some protesters were near the site, a group of men arrived in three multi utility vehicles and launched an unprovoked attack. The assailants allegedly opened fire, pelted stones, and vandalised several motorcycles parked at the spot before fleeing.Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal said the indiscriminate firing by mining mafias on villagers who raised their voices against illegal mining in the Ajitpura-Kujota area of Kotputli was an open challenge to law and order establishment.“This incident reveals how emboldened the elements involved in illegal mining have become and how insecure ordinary citizens feel about themselves,” the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party chief said in a post on X, describing it as proof of jungle raj prevailing in Rajasthan.“I want to ask the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Shri @BhajanlalBjp, that mining mafias walked away after indiscriminate firing on innocent villagers—when exactly will you take action against such mafias?” he said.Police said efforts were on to trace the attackers.