Gunmen kill former deputy mayor, three others in Jharkhand

March 22, 2017

Dhanbad, Mar 22: Former Dhanbad deputy mayor Niraj Singh and three others were killed after unidentified gunmen fired on their car at Saraidhela around 7pm Tuesday night.

Singh, who was with his personal assistant Ashok Yadav and a bodyguard, was being driven home, barely 2km away, when they were fired upon. Sources said their car had slowed down at a speed breaker when the gunmen, at least four in number, started to shoot.

Bokaro DIG Saket Singh confirmed Niraj Singh's death, but refused to provide details. "His death is confirmed but there are aspects about the shooting that are not clear. We are working on that," he said.

DGP D.K. Pandey has ordered constitution of a Special Investigation Team.

Soon after the shooting - sources claimed 27 rounds were fired - residents rushed to the site and informed police.

Personnel from the nearby Saraidhela police station rushed the injured to Central Hospital at Jagjivan Nagar, more than 2km from the spot. But Niraj, Ashok, his bodyguard Laltu and driver Munna seem to have died on the spot, judging by the number of bullet holes on the car's windshield and windows.

Niraj, who is elder brother of Dhanbad deputy mayor Eklavya Singh, contested the 2014 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket from Jharia, but lost to his cousin, Sanjeev Singh of the BJP.

Today's shooting comes after a similar attack on February 29 in which Ranjay Singh, a close aide of Sanjeev, was killed near Big Bazaar area of Dhanbad. Ranjay was on a scooter with his friend Raja Yadav and they were going to Sanjeev's residence at Saraidhela when they were fired upon.

Raja Yadav, who had survived the attack, told police he had noticed two persons standing at the gate of Niraj's residence prior to the attack, and that they were the assailants.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

Comments