NTPC DGM Kumar Gaurav shot dead in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh

Kumar Gaurav, an engineer from Nalanda, Bihar, was serving as the Deputy General Manager (DGM) in the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), a Maharatna company of India. He was posted in Jharkhand last year.

 On Saturday morning, while heading from his private residence in Hazaribagh towards the coal mine, criminals shot him near Fateh Chowk under the Katkamsandi police station area.

Unraveling the connections behind this murder will not be easy for the Jharkhand police. Kumar Gaurav was the nephew of the late Ramswaroop Prasad, a former MP from Nalanda, Bihar.

Before his posting in Jharkhand, he was stationed in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh. Within NTPC’s officer cadre, he was also known as a leader. He was the only child of his father and lived at his posting location. Therefore, it would not be surprising if the threads of this murder are linked to Jharkhand or Madhya Pradesh. 

Before his posting in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand last year, he was in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh, where he was promoted to DGM. In Hazaribagh, he was serving as the Deputy General Manager (Dispatch) in NTPC’s Keredari coal mine project. 

Within NTPC, he was known for his honesty and as a leader among officers. He became active in internal politics during his posting in Madhya Pradesh, and after his transfer to Jharkhand, his honest image reportedly troubled some individuals.

 Hazaribagh’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Arvind Kumar Singh has said that an investigation is underway, but within NTPC, there is talk that his murder may have been due to his refusal to let certain people have their way in matters related to the coal mine.