Levy suspected as armed men attack NTPC-linked project site

In a brazen act of violence reminiscent of Jharkhand’s insurgency-laden past, a group of around 35 armed assailants stormed a road construction site linked to NTPC’s Badam coal project in Barkagaon block, setting fire to eight vehicles and a generator set.

The incident on Monday night has sent shockwaves through the Godalpura–Jorakath area, with villagers waking to thick plumes of smoke and renewed fears of militant resurgence.

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According to police sources, the attackers—armed with rifles and dressed in plain clothes—descended on the construction site operated by Kala Transport, a contractor engaged in building a key road stretch from Chatti Barkagaon to Jorakath.

The mob systematically torched two JCB excavators, two Hyva trucks, a grader, a water tanker, a utility vehicle, and a generator set. Some staff members were reportedly assaulted, though no major injuries were reported.

“The attackers seemed well-prepared. They didn’t speak much—just shouted instructions and went straight to the vehicles with kerosene cans,” said a site worker who managed to flee.

District authorities suspect the attack is linked to a demand for ‘levy’—a recurring tactic among banned extremist factions operating in Jharkhand’s coal-rich zones. The vehicles had been engaged in the expansion of road connectivity for NTPC’s Badam project, which has long been viewed as a target for extortion.

“The motive appears to be extortion through intimidation,” said a senior official on condition of anonymity. “No group has claimed responsibility yet, but past incidents in this zone point toward ultra-left involvement.”

This is not the first such incident in the district in recent weeks. On 1 June, suspected cadres of the Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC)—a breakaway Maoist outfit—torched two Scania trucks of BGR Mining at the KD Coal Project near Pagaar OP. That attack involved indiscriminate firing and left one youth injured.

Local residents, already weary from years of infrastructural neglect, had placed considerable hope in the ongoing roadwork. “We don’t have a proper road even after 75 years of independence. This project was supposed to change that,” said Premnath Gupta, a ward member from Godalpura Panchayat. “Now, we’re back to fear and uncertainty.”

Villagers gathered around the blackened remains of the vehicles on Tuesday morning, many too shaken to speak. Some feared this was the start of a renewed phase of militant activity in the region, dormant in recent months but never fully eradicated.

Hazaribagh SP Anjani Anjan visited the site and launched a manhunt for the perpetrators. “A special operation is underway. Patrolling has been intensified in the area, and suspects are being interrogated,” he said.

Additional security has been deployed in the Barkagaon mining zone, a region long marked by militant extortion and resistance to industrial projects.

The attack poses fresh questions about the vulnerability of infrastructure works in Jharkhand’s conflict-prone districts, where developmental ambitions are often derailed by threats from the gun.

As security forces step up their response, contractors and labourers await reassurances—and protection—that their work won’t again be reduced to ashes in the night.