Sindri: The Dhanbad administration on Tuesday directed the BCCL authority to stop loading coal at the Muraidih coal dump after a clash between two warring factions of labourers. Dhanbad SDO Surendra Kumar said the action was taken to defuse the tension in the area and pave way for the reconciliation talks scheduled on Friday.
Kumar said, “We have directed the BCCL management to stop coal loading Muraidih dump till further orders and have invited the warring factions for reconciliation talks on Friday.”
Hours ahead of the clash, a gang of around 25 criminals attacked the office of the mining outsourcing company, Maa Ambe, at Benidih under Block II of BCCL on Monday midnight by hurling crude bombs and assaulting the workers of the office. The criminals also set fire to two Volvo trucks parked on the office campus before fleeing.
A joint team of police and CISF reached the spot within half-an-hour of the incident and called fire tenders to douse the flames from the vehicles. The same office was attacked in December last year and the accused, Vishwajeet Mukherjee, who had demanded money from the office, was arrested only this month and sent to jail.
Dhanbad SSP Asim Vikrant Minz visited the spot on Tuesday morning directed the police to identify the criminals and take stern action against them.
While police were still searching for those involved in the attack, two groups of workers at Muraidih coal dump of BCCL Barora area started indulging in the violent clash. They pelted stones at each other and both sides reportedly fire more than six rounds in the air.
The warring factions are said to be supporters of BJP MLA Dhullu Mahto and JMM leader Karu Yadav. While Yadav blamed the Dhullu supporters of not allowing the trucks belonging to licence holder Kanhai Chouhan to be loaded, the supports of the MLA alleged that Yadav has not paid the workers for loading coal on 20 trucks. Yadav, however, denied the charge.
Baghamara SDPO Nisha Murmu said, “Police have filed FIRs in both the cases. We are yet to ascertain the reason behind the attack on the office of the outsourcing company and an FIR has been lodged against unknown persons in connection with the attack. We have also lodged cases against some known and unknown persons from both the warring factions in the Muraidih case.”