The dreaded gang wars in the country’s coal capital Dhanbad, brought to life by director Anurag Kashyap in the Hindi film Gangs of Wasseypur, have returned to haunt the city, with the killing of Dhanbad’s former Deputy Mayor Neeraj Singh and three others on 21 March. The new chain of events has been triggered by the fight for the control of the local collieries, coal production for which has been outsourced to different companies by Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), due to its poor financial health. BCCL is a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL). Wasseypur is a locality in Dhanbad.
Neeraj Singh and three of his associates were killed by four assailants, who pumped 49 bullets into them, leading to widespread protests in the city. The Jharkhand Police has constituted a special investigating team (SIT) to probe the murders, but has not been able to make any breakthroughs so far.
Sources on the ground say that the gang-wars have returned because of BCCL outsourcing coal production. “Since most of the companies doing the job are from outside Dhanbad, they need local support for providing transportation, labour and managing other logistics for smooth operation. Here comes the role of local groups of musclemen who are controlled by the coal mafia,” said a Dhanbad-based source, who has been tracking the gang wars for the last several years.
Neeraj Singh’s uncle, Bachcha Singh, a former Cabinet minister in Jharkhand, has claimed that the police was going slow in the case because of the alleged involvement of a BJP MLA, Sanjiv Singh. He has demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Repeated attempts to contact Sanjiv Singh remained futile. A text message sent to his mobile went unanswered. State BJP leaders refused to comment on the issue. However, sources close to Sanjiv Singh said that Singh had nothing to do with the incident.
Sources say that the fight is more about money and control, than about any political party or ideology.
“Until now, the Jharia Assembly constituency under Dhanbad has been either with Surajdeo Singh or his family members, who have been with the BJP mostly. Currently, the seat is being held by his son Sanjiv Singh (BJP). Neeraj Singh was exploring political space for himself and therefore joined Congress and contested the Assembly elections in 2014, but lost,” the source said.
Dhanbad has a long history of gang wars. Those who have followed the course of events say that gang wars have led to the killing of at least 38 persons ever since the murder of B.P. Sinha in 1978. Surajdeo Singh, who is still regarded as the “King of Dhanbad”, had come to Dhanbad from Balia in Uttar Pradesh. He knew the late Prime Minister Chandrashekhar, who had stayed in Singh’s famous “Singh Mansion”.
Surajdeo Singh left Balia and started working as a labourer in the Dhanbad coal mines in the late 1950s. Those were the days of private coal companies. B.P. Sinha was a strongman at the time and controlled several collieries. Surejdeo Singh and Shafiq Khan of Wasseypur were loyal to B.P. Sinha.
When B.P. Sinha was murdered, it was alleged that Surajdeo Singh was behind it. Later, Surajdeo Singh became the new strongman of the coal belt. He also became MLA from Jharia, a seat which is still with his family. At present, it is represented by Sanjiv Singh, his son.
After the death of Surajdeo Singh in 1991, there was a split in the family. Surajdeo Singh’s brother Ramadhar Singh stayed in “Singh Mansion”, while his two other brothers, Rajan Singh and Bachcha Singh moved out and started living in another house, “Raghukul”. After Surajdeo Singh, the Assembly seat was held by his wife Kunti Devi.
Neeraj Singh was the son of Surajdeo’s brother Rajan Singh. The battle of supremacy continued, leading to the killing of many people, including Gurudas Chatterjee (MLA), Sakaldeo Singh, Shafiq Khan, Vinod Singh, Suresh Singh and Rajan Singh. In January this year, Ranjay Singh, an associate of Sanjiv Singh, was killed. Ever since, there was fear that his murder would be avenged. On 21 March, Neeraj Singh was murdered.
Speaking to this newspaper, Bachcha Singh alleged: “The investigation carried out by the SIT is unsatisfactory. Sanjiv is named an accused in the FIR, but he has not been arrested so far. His associates are being taken to the police station, only to be sent back after being offered tea. I have written to the President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister to get the case investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).” According to Singh, the incident is political and also linked to a property dispute of the family.
The Additional Director General (Operations) of Jharkhand Police, R.K. Mallick said six persons had been arrested in the case. “The state Crime Investigation Department (CID) is helping the Dhanbad Police to investigate the case. We have released the sketch of the sharpshooter. Allegations and charges are flying thick and fast, but unless we get some strong evidence, it will not be proper for us to comment on the matter. We have zeroed in on some people and we should get to the bottom of the case soon.”
According to sources, the gang-wars could intensify unless the police gets its act together. Else, Dhanbad could return to its gangs of Wasseypur days.
Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo told The Sunday Guardian: “Some people have levelled allegations against MLA Sanjiv Singh. One should remember that there has been a family rivalry going on for many years. But police is investigating all the aspects. And whosoever is guilty will be taken to task. There is no question of any political interference. Law will take its own course.”