At first glance, it could pass for a desert. Pale beige sand forms steep slopes as far as the eye can see, the stark landscape broken only by occasional ridges, faint vehicle tracks, and earthmovers piling sand onto waiting tractors. But look closer, and the differences emerge: patches of green shrubbery and, just beyond, the Mahanadi, summer-worn and thinner than in the monsoon. This is a sand quarry in Karhi village in Chhattisgarh’s Sakti district. Last week, the 18-year-old son of a Congress leader was shot dead and another son wounded when armed men forced their way into their house late at night. There have been no arrests yet. The killing has drawn attention to ongoing concerns around illegal sand mining in the area, although police said the motive is still under investigation and no link has been established so far.…