Officials reported that an unidentified group of gunmen shot and killed Sharad Kumar, a general manager of a mining firm contracted by power utility NTPC for mining activities at its captive coal mine in Barkagaon, Hazaribag district. The incident occurred on Tuesday when Kumar was travelling in an SUV towards a site office near the Barkagaon Forest Guest House. Two gunmen on a motorcycle fired at close range, fatally wounding Kumar and also injuring his bodyguard.Kumar and his bodyguard were swiftly taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead. According to Hazaribagh Superintendent of Police Manoj Ratan Chothe, the suspects wore masks and showed sharpshooting skills, implying a planned attack, but the cause remains unknown. A case has been filed at the Barkagaon police station, but no arrests have yet been made.Following the heinous murder of a top executive in broad daylight, senior officials hurried to Hazaribag to inspect the situation including Additional General of Police (Operations) Sanjay Latkar. NTPC hired the mining development operator (MDO) to operate the Chatti Bariatu coal mine, which acts as a captive mine for the central public sector enterprise (PSU). Officials from NTPC reported that partial operations were underway at the mines, with coal being transported to the North Karnpura power facility in Tandwa, around 30 kilometres away.The captive mines are also linked to the neighbouring Bihar power projects of Barh and Kanti. According to an NTPC official, the incident created worry among the employees, despite the fact that operations had been running well.
