Dhanbad (Jharkhand), Nov 9 (PTI) Villagers attacked the car of a general manager of the Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) on Monday forcing his bodyguard to fire in the air, after the official stopped them from stealing coal from a mine in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district, police said.

Claiming that a woman was injured in the firing, local people blocked a key road for several hours demanding immediate transfer of the GM, affecting transportation of coal from Kapasara colliery in Nirsa block.

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ECL's Mugma area GM BC Singh who denied that a woman was injured in the firing, and the villagers complained against each other with the police in this connection, said Sub-divisional Police Officer of Nirsa, Vijay Kumar Kushwaha.

Kushwaha said that the incident occurred in the morning when a large group of people including women were lifting coal from a dumpsite in Kaparasa open cast mine and Singh reached there and asked them to stop.

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A mob then attacked his car damaging it and his bodyguard then fired one round in the air for saving his life, the SDPO said.

"The incident is being investigated. Villagers claimed that a woman was injured in the firing. But we can say anything on this only after getting the medical report," he said.

The GM said, "I would have been lynched had my bodyguard not fired in the air."

The villagers lifted the blockade at around 5 pm.

Theft of coal either from goods trains or from mines - is a perennial problem for the administration in coal-rich Jharkhand. Many people living near collieries earn their livelihood by stealing the fuel.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)