HAZARIBAG/CHATRA: A deputy GM at NTPC‘s Keredari coal mines was shot and killed Saturday morning in Jharkhand’s Hazaribag district, in what police suspect was a targeted attack linked to the region’s coal mining mafia.
Kumar Gaurav, 42, was on his way to work around 9.30am when two men on a motorcycle intercepted his car near Phataha Chowk and opened fire, police said. Gaurav seated in the back of the car was struck by bullets in his back and shoulder, which pierced his heart and proved fatal, according to contractor Javed Alam, who was in the front seat with the driver. Both escaped unharmed.
My eyes were on the road. As the car reached Phataha, we heard a loud sound caused by the shattering of a window pane. Rana pulled over to see what happened. Then, we saw the DGM had collapsed,” Alam said. Gaurav, a resident of Bihar’s Nalanda district, had been with NTPC for two years. He is survived by his elderly mother, wife, and a 11-year-old daughter.
Police have detained six people for questioning. Hazaribag SP Arvind Kumar Singh said a special investigation team had been formed to determine the motive. “It is not clear whether the victim had any enemies or was receiving threats,” he said.
The killing came a day after a coal trader and his driver were shot at in Ranchi’s Bariatu area, highlighting ongoing tensions in the coal sector.
Coal-related violence has been on the rise in Hazaribag region. Gaurav is the fourth such official killed in Jharkhand in five years. The killing has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, who accused JMM-led govt of failing to control “lawlessness”.
