ex-employee-shoots-dead-two-hpcl-officials-in-badaun

Two senior officials of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) were shot dead after a former employee, who had been recently dismissed, allegedly opened fire inside the company’s biogas and ethanol plant in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday night, police said.

 

According to Senior Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Singh, the accused, Ajay Pratap Singh, also known as Ramu, entered a meeting at the plant and opened fire.

 

"General Manager Sudhir Kumar Gupta was shot dead during the incident. When Assistant General Manager Harshit Mishra tried to intervene, the attacker also fired at him, killing him on the spot," he said.

 

Both officials sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed to a Community Health Centre in Dataganj, where doctors declared them dead. The accused is a resident of Senjani village, where the biogas and ethanol plant is located.

 

According to police, he had previously created disturbances at the facility and was terminated due to alleged violent behaviour.

 

Investigators revealed that Gupta had filed a complaint against the accused earlier this year.

 

 

On February 4, he lodged an FIR at Musajhag Police Station stating that his life was under threat from Ajay. In the complaint, Gupta had mentioned that the accused should be held responsible if anything happened to him.

 

The HPCL biogas and ethanol plant in the Dataganj area was set up to promote regional development and generate employment. The facility was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

 

Over time, disputes involving local workers reportedly affected operations at the plant. Ajay Pratap Singh had worked there as an outsourced employee before being removed. Gupta, 58, was a resident of Bareilly, while Mishra, 34, belonged to Puranpur.

 

Senior officials, including Bareilly Zone Additional Director General of Police Ramit Sharma and Deputy Inspector General Ajay Kumar Sahni, reached the site to inspect the crime scene. District Magistrate Avneesh Rai and SSP Brijesh Kumar Singh were also present. Police said the accused has been arrested and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination. Further legal proceedings are underway.