Locals have accused police of misbehaving them in the name of curbing illegal sand mines operating on the bank of Tamakoshi River. The locals accused the police of unnecessarily interfering in their livelihood and beating them black and blue. Police arrested as many as 12 locals for their alleged involvement in the sand mining, out of whom three have been released so far. Tama Koshi floods had swept away houses of Majhi community and left their field barren seven years ago, which is now full of sands and pebbles. Since then the locals had no means of livelihood. Thinking that it would their right to extract sand over their barren land, they started supplying construction materials including sand to various places. The community raised a fund of Rs 1.7 million taking Rs 50,000 from each family few months ago for the purpose. With the fund raised, they have been hiring a dozer to mine sand from the bank of the Tama Koshi River and supplying to various places sine the last few months. On the contrary, police have said that they arrested some locals for their illegal involvement in extracting sand illegally. The locals have been extracting sand despite repeated calls to stop it, said police. According to police, over two dozen sand minings are being operated illegally.