Hazaribag: Six vehicles engaged in coal mining were torched late Saturday night in Jharkhand’s Hazaribag district in a suspected Maoist attack. Police said members of the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) are believed to be behind the incident at the Tapin North project of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL).
According to officials, nine to ten armed men stormed the site between midnight and 1 a.m., forced workers out of their vehicles, drained fuel tanks, and set fire to three earthmovers, dumpers, and other machinery. The vehicles belonged to RKS, an outsourcing company working at the project for four years.
A leaflet issued in the name of the TPC and signed by “Gurudev Ji” was recovered near the spot. It warned contractors to stop mining until talks were held with the group, threatening “serious consequences” for any violation.
Eyewitnesses said workers were threatened and some were assaulted during the raid. Police officials confirmed the recovery of the leaflets and said the attack appeared to be part of a levy collection drive. Charhi police station in-charge Kundan Kant Vimal, who reached the site, said all six vehicles were gutted and that an investigation was underway.
The attack follows a similar incident in Barkagaon on June 23, when armed groups set fire to multiple vehicles at a road construction site. Authorities say repeated incidents highlight the continuing threat from extremist groups in Jharkhand’s coal belt.
CCL management has assured contractors and workers of reinforced safety measures, while police have deployed additional forces at the project site. Senior officials have said that an intensive crackdown against TPC cadres in the region will be launched. The attack has once again underlined the fragile security environment in Jharkhand’s mining areas.
