Hazaribagh, March 20 (IANS) Armed criminals unleashed violence at Central Coalfields Limited’s (CCL) New Birsa project in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district, injuring a worker and causing extensive damage to heavy machinery. The incident occurred during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, spreading panic among workers and bringing operations to a standstill.
According to the police, a group of unidentified criminals stormed the New Birsa project site and fired several rounds to intimidate workers. During the attack, a CCL worker sustained a bullet injury to his leg and was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he is receiving treatment. The criminals also set fire to a payloader machine and vandalized vehicles.
Authorities believe the attack may be linked to an extortion attempt. Workers at the project site reported that the assailants fired five to six rounds before targeting the heavy machinery. Operations at CCL’s Urimari and New Birsa projects have been completely disrupted.
In response to the attack, the local police have launched a large-scale search operation across the area. As of now, ten suspects have been detained for questioning. Senior police officials are monitoring the investigation closely and have intensified patrolling in and around the affected project sites.
In a related incident, a construction site on the Chotnar river in Giridih district’s Gawan block also came under attack by a group of approximately 14-15 armed criminals. The assailants allegedly targeted the site after the contractor refused to pay a demanded extortion amount of Rs 5 lakh.
During the assault, the criminals severely beat the site’s clerk and several workers, leaving four individuals — Congress Yadav, Bablu Baski, Samel Murmu, and Dharmendra Kumar — badly injured. All four victims have been admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
An FIR has been registered in connection with the attack, and police are pursuing leads to identify the assailants. Law enforcement agencies are investigating whether the two incidents are connected and whether the same criminal syndicate is involved.
–IANS
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