Dhanbad: Four alleged coal smugglers were killed and two injured during a gunfight with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at Benidih coal railway siding area in Dhanbad. Besides, two CISF jawans were also injured in the incident, said CISF DIG Vijay Kajla.
The jawans are undergoing treatment at the central hospital, he said. The incident occurred when a group of around 100 bike-borne coal smugglers pelted stones at CISF personnel. The security personnel opened fire in the air but the mob attacked and tried to snatch their weapon following which the jawans opened fire in retaliation and four were killed, the DIG said.
According to the police, six alleged smugglers who received bullet injuries were taken to Dhanbad medical college where four were declared brought dead and the other two were referred to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.
The DIG said the paramilitary force will conduct a detailed inquiry as per the guidelines behind the reason for the shootout as well as determine ways to prevent any such incident in the future. District police will also form a Special Interrogation Team (SIT) to probe the encounter.
The identification of the accused was still to be ascertained till the time of filing of the report, Dhanbad senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sanjeev Kumar told the media. Kajla said the coal-bearing area of the Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), a subsidiary of Coal India, is a matter of concern for the police due to frequent cases of coal theft and regular clash with security personnel.
A similar incident happened on November 3 when another group resorted to stone pelting. Another incident occurred on August 17. However, this is the first such incident where four casualties happened, he said.