Coal labourers clash at Kusunda area, 6 injured BCCL suspends loading operations at Vishwakarma pending talks OUR CORRESPONDENT
At least six workers were injured when two rival groups of coal loaders clashed at the Vishwakarma Project site of Kusunda area, hurling stones and wielding sticks in the presence of police on Wednesday.
Two of those injured at the BCCL project site, Sampurna Devi and Lakshmi Devi, had to be admitted to a private hospital for treatment.
The clash lasted half an hour. Finally, the police were able to control the crowds after a lathi-charge. Windscreens of two vehicles, a tipper and a truck, were broken.
Row over coal loading at BCCL’s Kusunda area project site Labourers backed by rival politicians, local land-losers cry foul
A continuing power struggle among groups of labourers supported by various politicians is affecting coal loading work at the Vishwakarma Project site of Bharat Coking Coal (BCCL) in the Kusunda area.
A group of project-affected people who were hit by disruption of manual coal loading since January 18, 2016, staged a demonstration at the site demanding resumption of the process on Wednesday. They have the support of former Nirsa MLA Arup Chatterjee.
Those opposing the resumption of coal loading work are supported by Guddu Singh, a nephew Dhanbad MP P.N. Singh, who is in favour of engaging outsiders.