The two-member panel, constituted by the State  Government, to probe into the police firing on the protesters killing two persons at Gola in Ramgarh, began the investigation on Tuesday.

The panel comprising Hazaribagh Divisional Commissioner Dr Pradeep Kumar and DIG Upendra Kumar reached there and went straight into talks with the injured and eyewitnesses.

Talking to The Pioneer over phone after the visit head of the team Dr Pradeep Kumar hinted the line of the report going to be in the case. “We took statements of the villagers and the policemen present there at the time of incident.

It looks obvious that the mob went out of control and resorted to heavy stone pelting at the police personnel. This cost one eye of the BDO while 15 policemen and as many as five other officials got injured. First, the police lathi charged, and then fired in air before opening fire to disperse the mob,” said the Divisional Commissioner.

Similar version also came from the DIG who informed about the flashpoint and added that cases have been registered at Rajrappa and Gola police stations relating to the bloody incident which caused two deaths. However, unconfirmed reports coming in on Tuesday suggested that two more bodies have been found from the battleground. Following the incident Chief Minister Raghubar Das had ordered to form the committee and directed to submit its report within a week.

The Commissioner said further that the probe team had recorded statements of 25-30 people and talked to over 100 others about the incident. “We are returning to Ranchi. Tomorrow, we would go to the injured admitted in the RIMS and also to the policemen getting treated at Medanta in Ranchi. Our efforts would be to work on daily basis and present the report to the Government in time,” said Dr Pradeep Kumar.

Meanwhile, management of Inland Power has sent an SoS to the district administration to restore its damaged intake well and other facilities. “The incident caused severe damage to our properties and machineries. Pipes of intake well have been damaged which has stopped water supply to the plant. We have water available just for today and if it is not restored by Wednesday, we may even go for a shut down,” said a top official of the power plant providing 63 MW of power to the State.

He further added that petty politics and vested interest of some local contactors had damaged the ‘excellent relations’ of the villagers with the plant that was commissioned in Ramgarh district in May 2014. “Talks with villages were on at BDO office but a local contractor, who was running his trucks for the company that got discontinued later on, got adamant that the talks would take place at plant site so that a large crowd can be gathered and disturbance can be created. It was pre-planned. We have been meeting all the commitments made to the villages and have had excellent rapport with them,” said Sanjay Singh, DGM with Inland Power.

The company also maintained that since the entire land involved was purchased directly from ‘raiyats’ there was no question of any rehabilitation and agreements reached were on individual basis. “We have provided daily wages jobs to 283 unskilled locals and helping with teacher salary to schools. Water facility to Bhavni Tola and Bariyatu is being provided. But how can a company build roads or school buildings of its ownIJ Some local leaders have misguided the villages so that the plant gets shut down,” he said.

Moreover, as expected politics has also started on the matter. Congress sent a delegation to Gola comprising PCC chief Sukhdeo Bhagat and MlA Alamgir Alam while leader of Opposition Hemant Soren, who met some of the victims at his residence, is planning to visit the place on Wednesday.