Hindalco mines in Kujam

Ranchi, Aug. 18: Suspected guerrillas of a breakaway CPI(Maoist) faction have kidnapped 10 employees, including an engineer, of Hindalco Industries Limited from the company’s Kujam mines area in the extremist stronghold of Bishunpur block in Gumla district.

A squad of 20-30 armed rebels descended on the bauxite reserve on Netarhat-Kujam road yesterday morning and whisked away mining engineer Vijay Kumar, a resident of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, three supervisors, five contractors and a driver.

Almost 12 hours later, around 9pm, they returned to torch as many as 12 heavy equipment and vehicles on the mine premises.

South Chhotanagpur deputy inspector-general (DIG) R.K. Mallick, who is camping in Bishunpur block, said that though the CPI(Maoist) was not involved in the abduction, it could be the handiwork of some new rebel faction, which was trying to make its presence felt in the area.

“We have learnt that the Hindalco employees are safe and are trying to locate them,” he added.

Gumla deputy commissioner Rahul Sharma, too, suspected the involvement of a breakaway Maoist faction. “We are very close to finding out where the rebels are keeping the Hindalco men. Some employees called up their family members to say they were still safe. We will mount pressure on the rebel group to ensure their safe release,” Sharma said.

The senior police officers are not ruling out a possible demand for levy from the company behind the abduction.

Hindalco vice-president (mines) K.K. Dave said engineer Kumar and supervisors Md Shahjada, K.P. Singh and Devendra Kumar, who are on the company’s payroll, were travelling in two jeeps along with five hired contractors.

“They were intercepted on Netarhat-Kujam road around 9am yesterday. The kidnap took place before the rebels barged into the mine premises and torched nine dumpers, two water tankers and an excavator. Earlier, they had also set fire to the vehicles carrying our men,” he said.

Dave, who heads the Lohardaga mines division, pegged losses at Rs 2.5 crore. “We have no idea where our employees are. We have informed our headquarters in Mumbai and awaiting instructions,” he said.

Hindalco Industries Limited, the flagship Aditya Birla Group company, has been a victim of extremism in Gumla-Lohardaga for quite some time. In May this year, mining operations were closed for more than 20 days following a rebel levy diktat.

In the 2008-09 fiscal, the company has remained open for only 200 days in the wake of CPI(Maoist)-sponsored violence.

At least five other breakaway factions are also giving company officials nervous nights. The most prominent being one led by Sanjay Yadav, who once owed allegiance to the CPI(Maoist).

Bauxite from Hindalco’s Lohardaga and Gumla mines is ferried to its integrated plants in Renukoot, Uttar Pradesh, which has a metal production capacity of 3.5 lakh tonnes, and Muri, Jharkhand, that produces 5 lakh tonnes.

Such is the fear of Maoists that owners refuse to ply their vehicles on the route at night. This despite the fact that a school to train combat forces is being commissioned in Netarhat in neighbouring Latehar district.