In a gruesome incident, unidentified criminals killed security in-charge of under construction Abhijeet power plant DN Singh in latehar on Saturday late night raising, serious questions over the safety of the private companies' employees working in remote parts of the State.
When Singh was coming out from the plant for his quarter on Saturday evening, was hit on his neck by an axe at Chadwa-Chakla More, a few meters from the plant and about 35 km from the district headquarter latehar on the National Highway 99, Officer in charge of Chandwa Police Station Ravi Kant Prasad said.
Singh, hailing from Balumath in latehar was working with the company for the about nine years since the construction work of the plant was started at Chandwa. He was retired as Subedar in the Army and was staying alone at company's staff quarter. He is survived by his wife, a son and daughter. His daughter got married a few months back.
The plant is coming up at Chandwa (Chakla) in latehar which is closed for some one and a half years after the coal scam was unearthed. Singh was posted as an Assistant Manager (Security) at the plant in Chandwa since 2004.
The incident has happened hours after Chief Minister Hemant Soren reopened the JSMDC-owned Sikni colliery in the extremist-hit district. Despite plant being closed for the last one and a half years, illegal smuggling of iron scrap was continuing which Singh was trying to check. According to the local police, Singhon on Saturday had a heated conversation with a casual staff in the company Riyaz when he was caught in the act of smuggling iron scrap.
"Singh however, had let him go after warning but apprehending action against him, Riyaz decided to close the chapter once and for all," said Ravi Kant Prasad. Riyaz, is supposed to have got Singh killed by one of his close confidant apprehending his dismissal from his job. According to the police, Singh had caught some scrap smugglers in the past also, who were later sent to jail. Police is searching for the suspect and has also detained some persons, he added.
"This is an internal matter of the company where one worker of the company has been identified who was warned by Singh after he was found to be indulged in some illegal activities," said latehar SP Michael S. Raj.
The company on the other hand has announced a compensation of 15 lakh for the diseased family members as well as a job to one of his dependents.
Though the police called it an internal matter but the company executives dubbed it a serious matter which needs to be addressed soon if the government really wants to provide industrial environment in the State.
"The role and responsibility need to be defined in the State. The responsibility has to be taken by someone as security of the staff has become a big issue in Jharkhand," said an executive of a private company operational in the State on the conditions of anonymity.
The incident, however, was not the first one which has rocked the industrial fraternity in the State. Project Manager of Gujarat-based Montecarlo Construction Company Vishnu Bhai Patel alias Mamaji and a close relative of proprietor Gautam Patel, along with seven other employees had been abducted barely a few kilometers from their base camp in Bukru on December 30, last year. Seven of them however, were released the same night in Chatra.
The manger was later released after nine days of captivity near a village in Khelari, 50 km from the State Capital. Ruling out any Maoist role in the abduction, the police had alleged involvement of an interstate gang of criminals had pulled off the crime. In a similar incident, suspected Maoists had shot dead a Reliance Power executive Manoj Ojha near Hesatu village, some 96 km from Chatra town in April 2012. Ojha, a deputy general manager with Reliance Power, had gone to Birbir with the company vice-president to inspect land for a proposed power plant.
Two suspected Maoists reportedly fired on their vehicles, injuring both. Ojha died on the spot while Buch succeeded to escape from there.