Hazaribag/Chatra: Unidentified bike-borne miscreants shot dead the deputy general manager (dispatch) of NTPC Keredari coal mines, Kumar Gaurav (42) in Hazaribag district on Saturday morning.
Gaurav was on the way to his office from home at about 9.30 am when the attackers intercepted his SUV near Phataha Chowk on the Hazaribag-Barkagaon road and fired at least two rounds at him.
Six persons were detained in connection with the killing and police said they are exploring all possible angles, including the handiwork of the mining mafia.
Soon after the attack, Hazaribag SP Arvind Kumar Singh said, “We are probing the motive behind the murder and have detained six persons for interrogation. An SIT headed by Barkagaon SDPO Pawan Kumar was formed to probe the matter. So far, it is not clear whether the victim had any enemies or was receiving threats.”
The SIT will have the OCs of Katkamdag, Barkagaon, Keredari, Hazaribag (sadar) and Muffasil police stations as members.
Notably, Gaurav was the fourth coal mining work-related officer and the first from NTPC to be killed in a little over five years. Some officials said disputes over coal mining and transport between companies and the local mafia have emerged as a major issue in the last few years.
Two years ago, on May 9, 2023, Sharad Kumar, 40, the general manager of Ritwick Pvt Ltd, a company engaged by the NTPC, was shot dead on the same stretch.
On February 20, 2021, bike-borne criminals also shot dead Larsen & Toubro’s equipment in-charge Satyendra Kumar Singh in the area. In another incident on December 4, 2019, Gopal Singh, the HR head of NTPC’s outsourcing company, Thriveni Sainik, was shot dead in the Julu Park area.
At the time of Saturday’s attack, Gaurav was seated in the back of the SUV while a chemical contractor, Javed Alam, was in the front along with the driver, Santosh Rana. Both were unhurt and have spoken to the police.
Soon after getting information about the incident, Katkamdag police rushed to the spot and took Gaurav to a private hospital and later to the Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College and Hospital, Hazaribag, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Gaurav’s body was later handed over to his family members after the post-mortem.
The incident also came a day after a prominent coal trader and his driver were shot at in Ranchi’s Bariatu area.
Speaking to reporters, the general manager of NTPC’s Pakri Barwadih mines in Hazaribag, Faiz Taiyab, said they didn’t understand why an NTPC officer was targeted in this way.
Gaurav, an original resident of Nalanda in Bihar, is survived by his elderly mother, his wife and an 11-year-old daughter, NTPC officials said, informing that the victim joined the PSU two years ago and his family lived in the Julu Park area of Hazaribag.
Taiyab also said the PSU’s priority was to take care of Gaurav’s family and to ensure the safety of all its employees here.
Meanwhile, the ruling JMM refuted the opposition charge of lawlessness in the state and said the govt would deliver justice in the crime soon even as opposition BJP’s Hazaribag MP said, “If criminals aren’t controlled, it will severely hamper the state’s industrial development and exacerbate the unemployment issue.”
JMM leader Pramod Gupta responded, saying, “Whatever happened is very unfortunate but the culprits of any such crime will be dealt with iron hands. Instead of getting involved in mudslinging over this issue, all should stand with the family of the slain DGM. Police are working promptly on the case. If needed, we will also mount pressure on police so that those behind this incident get arrested as soon as possible.”