Dhanbad (Jharkhand): A magisterial probe was ordered into the death of four alleged coal thieves in a "gunfight" with CISF personnel in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district, a senior official said on Monday. The investigation was ordered after villagers alleged that no gunfight took place and the four locals were killed in "unprovoked firing" by personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
The deceased were identified as Pritam Nonia (29), Ataul Ansari alias Atul Ansari (26), Shahzad Khan (32) and Shamim Ansari (25). Raja Khan, the elder brother of Ataul Ansari, claimed that his brother was innocent and he was only passing by a coal siding path when CISF personnel shot him dead. Nonia's maternal uncle Prakash leveled similar allegations, saying he was killed in "unprovoked firing by CISF".
A notification issued by Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Sandip Singh late on Sunday stated that the magisterial probe will be headed by Additional District Magistrate (law and order) Nand Kishore Gupta. CISF claimed that a "gunfight" took place with alleged coal thieves at Denidih coal siding in Baghmara area, around 200 km from state capital Ranchi, on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.
The paramilitary force said that four "coal thieves" were killed and two others injured in the incident. They are being treated at a Ranchi hospital. "The magisterial probe was ordered after receiving the reports about the incident from CISF Deputy Inspector General Vinay Kajla and Dhanbad's Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjiv Kumar for further detailed investigation into the case," the DC said.
Earlier, the SSP announced that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) would be constituted to investigate the incident. The CISF DIG, after his preliminary investigation into the incident, claimed that CISF personnel resorted to firing in self-defense as coal thieves attacked them in large numbers when the jawans tried to stop them from coal theft.
He said two CISF jawans also suffered injuries and they are undergoing treatment at a hospital. CISF and Dhanbad Police seized 21 motorcycles from the spot. Police claimed that the alleged coal thieves had come on motorcycles to pilfer coal from the siding but they escaped following the clash. CISF claimed that there are bullet marks on its jeep from shots fired by the alleged coal thieves. The paramilitary force has also lodged an FIR with Baghmara police station against 100 unknown people for attacking the jawans at the coal siding. Sources said that the villagers are also in the process of registering a police complaint with their allegations. (PTI)
