Magisterial probe ordered into death of four 'coal thieves' in J'khand
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): A magisterial probe was ordered into the death of four alleged coal thieves in a "gunfight" with CISF personnel in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district, a senior official said on Monday.
The investigation was ordered after villagers alleged that no gunfight took place and the four locals were killed in "unprovoked firing" by personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
The deceased were identified as Pritam Nonia (29), Ataul Ansari alias Atul Ansari (26), Shahzad Khan (32) and Shamim Ansari (25).
Raja Khan, the elder brother of Ataul Ansari, claimed that his brother was innocent and he was only passing by a coal siding path when CISF personnel shot him dead.
Nonia's maternal uncle Prakash leveled similar allegations, saying he was killed in "unprovoked firing by CISF".
A notification issued by Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Sandip Singh late on Sunday stated that the magisterial probe will be headed by Additional District Magistrate (law and order) Nand Kishore Gupta.
CISF claimed that a "gunfight" took place with alleged coal thieves at Denidih coal siding in Baghmara area, around 200 km from state capital Ranchi, on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.
The paramilitary force said that four "coal thieves" were killed and two others injured in the incident. They are being treated at a Ranchi hospital.
"The magisterial probe was ordered after receiving the reports about the incident from CISF Deputy Inspector General Vinay Kajla and Dhanbad's Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjiv Kumar for further detailed investigation into the case," the DC said.
Earlier, the SSP announced that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) would be constituted to investigate the incident.
The CISF DIG, after his preliminary investigation into the incident, claimed that CISF personnel resorted to firing in self-defense as coal thieves attacked them in large numbers when the jawans tried to stop them from coal theft.
He said two CISF jawans also suffered injuries and they are undergoing treatment at a hospital.
CISF and Dhanbad Police seized 21 motorcycles from the spot.
Police claimed that the alleged coal thieves had come on motorcycles to pilfer coal from the siding but they escaped following the clash.
CISF claimed that there are bullet marks on its jeep from shots fired by the alleged coal thieves.
The paramilitary force has also lodged an FIR with Baghmara police station against 100 unknown people for attacking the jawans at the coal siding.
Sources said that the villagers are also in the process of registering a police complaint with their allegations.
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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge met a high-level delegation from Chile, led by Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna, at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday to discuss collaboration in emerging technologies, clean energy, and startup ecosystems, officials said.
The delegation’s visit to Bengaluru, as part of its India engagements, underscores Karnataka’s growing prominence as a preferred partner for global collaborations in technology, innovation, and startup ecosystems, officials added.
The discussions reflected strong alignment between Chile’s evolving technology-focused growth strategy and Karnataka’s established leadership in innovation and deep-tech ecosystems, according to a statement.
Both sides explored opportunities to build partnerships that move beyond traditional sectors and focus on innovation-led growth, talent exchange, and market access.
The meeting focused on opportunities in renewable energy, including green hydrogen and sustainable industrial innovation.
Other potential areas of collaboration included marine biotechnology, aquaculture technologies, and AI applications across traditional industries.
According to the state IT minister, Karnataka is now a global hub for deep-tech, AI, biotech, aerospace, and advanced research, backed by one of the world’s strongest talent pipelines.
“As partners under the global innovation alliance, we must move beyond agreements on paper to actionable collaboration,” Kharge said.
“We are keen to work with Chile on startup exchanges, market access programmes, and building joint innovation corridors, including R&D centres, incubators, and accelerators. Chile’s position as a gateway to Latin America presents a significant opportunity for our startups to scale globally,” he added.
Officials said the engagement builds on the Letter of Intent signed between the Government of Karnataka and the Government of Chile during the Bengaluru Tech Summit, which established a framework for collaboration in startups, emerging technologies, research, and skill development under the Global Innovation Alliance.
Mackenna, Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the country is actively advancing its transition toward a knowledge- and technology-driven economy.
“Our engagement with Karnataka reflects our interest in building strong innovation partnerships that enable technology exchange, talent collaboration, and access to dynamic startup ecosystems,” he added.
“We see significant potential to work together in sectors such as clean energy, digital technologies, and emerging industries, while also strengthening Chile’s role as a bridge between India and Latin America,” he said.
