Latest news with #VickyThakur
Indian Express
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
To intimidate mining companies, Maoists set truck ablaze in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh
Armed members of the banned Maoist outfit Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC) intercepted and set ablaze a mining truck in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district Sunday evening, in what police believe was a deliberate attempt to intimidate mining companies. They also fired indiscriminately and left a threat letter targeting major mining companies. Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee is a banned outfit that is splinter group of the erstwhile Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) – a Maoist outfit that fused with the People's War Group in September 2004 to make the present-day Communist Party of India (Maoist). The incident occurred around 8:20 pm near a site operated by BGR Company, where two Scania trucks were engaged in dumping operations. According to the police, 4-5 armed men approached the vehicles, forced drivers to get down, and roughed up a driver who resisted and eventually fired indiscriminately. The driver who was roughed up allegedly sustained minor injuries to his neck. Vicky Thakur, Pagar Outpost incharge under Keredari police station, said: 'After dousing the vehicle with petrol and setting it ablaze, the insurgents left behind a pamphlet in the name of one Kaushal ji, identifying themselves as TSPC members. The letter warned all mining lease holders, including DO holder mines and outsourced mining operators, to initiate dialogue with the group or face 'serious consequences'. 'They've named NTPC, CCL, L&T, and others in the pamphlet and said operations without prior negotiation would invite action. It's mostly addressed to operators of outsourced mines, although regular work continues,' he said. The pamphlet allegedly invoked Marxist ideology and challenged the legitimacy of police presence, stating that law enforcement does not exist for the interests of corporations and that 'criminal action' would follow any attempt to bypass the group's conditions. Security has since been intensified in the area, and police have launched a probe to identify and apprehend those involved. 'A formal report has been filed, and patrolling around key mining zones has been increased,' Thakur said. The injured driver, identified as Gautam Dubey, is associated with the mining vehicle operations and is currently stable. Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India. Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More
Hans India
02-06-2025
- Hans India
Maoists torch mining vehicles in Hazaribagh, youth injured in firing
Hazaribagh: Armed militants of the banned outfit Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC) torched two vehicles belonging to BGR Mining Company and opened indiscriminate fire in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district on Sunday night, leaving a youth injured and triggering panic in the area, officials said on Monday. The incident took place near Pagar-Pandu village in the Keredari police station limits. BGR Mining is involved in coal extraction work under the KD (Khalari-Dakra) project of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL). The militants targeted the company's vehicles parked at the site and fled after setting them ablaze. Eyewitnesses said the attackers, part of an armed squad, fired randomly before escaping into the nearby forests. A youth caught in the gunfire sustained injuries and was taken to the hospital for medical treatment. His condition is said to be stable. Security forces recovered a pamphlet from the scene, purportedly issued by TSPC's sub-zonal commander Kaushal. In it, the group warned NTPC, CCL, L&T, and other contractor firms not to begin any operations without prior "permission" from the organisation. The pamphlet threatened more severe action if the warning is ignored. The TSPC claimed in the note that it is working in the interest of local tribals and the general public. It accused the government of harassing innocent villagers under the pretext of anti-Maoist operations and described its own activities as a fight against exploitation. Following the attack, police from the Pagar outpost, led by in-charge Vicky Thakur, reached the spot and launched a search operation. Patrolling has been intensified in the region, and a probe is underway. Suspected individuals are being questioned. The incident has sparked fear among workers associated with mining operations in Keredari and surrounding areas. Similar incidents have been reported in recent weeks. In early May, Maoists torched six vehicles and two excavators at a mining site in Turisat village under Chandwa police station limits in Latehar district. Just a week ago, militants of the People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) set fire to two vehicles, including a road roller, involved in a road construction project in Khunti district's Rania area.
