Rumour triggers vandalism, chaos at Singrauli power plant:Worker dies of heart attack in Singrauli, colleagues suspect accident

Chaos that broke out at the Adani Power plant in Singrauli on Saturday was triggered by a rumour. A worker from Jharkhand, Lallan Singh, had died of a heart attack, but fellow workers believed he had died in a workplace accident and that the company management was trying to hide the incident. Amid the suspicion, workers became angry and began vandalising the premises. More than 10 vehicles were damaged, over 25 air conditioners were broken and a company office was set on fire. Panic continued inside the plant for nearly five hours. More than 200 police personnel, including the SDM, tehsildar and Additional SP, were deployed before the situation was brought under control. At present, the situation at the plant is normal. Police remain on alert for security reasons. More than 400 workers have left for their homes with their belongings. According to police, no FIR has been registered so far. The people involved in the vandalism will be identified through videography and action will be taken. To understand the incident in detail, Bhaskar spoke with Lallan Singh’s roommate Kamlesh, SDOP Gaurav Pandey and SDM Nandan Tiwari. First look at these 6 pictures of arson and vandalism Health deteriorated at 11 PM, death in hospital The incident began with the death of worker Lallan Singh, a native of Garhwa district in Jharkhand. He lived in a room with his colleague Kamlesh. Kamlesh said that around 11 pm on Friday, Lallan’s health suddenly worsened. He complained that something was stuck in his throat and he was unable to breathe. Kamlesh initially thought it might be due to a cold and gave him ginger to eat, but Lallan could not even suck the piece. Soon after, he started hitting his chest with his hands and collapsed on the ground. Kamlesh immediately informed the company. Lallan was taken by ambulance to Baidhan hospital, where doctors declared him dead. His body was kept at the trauma centre that night. Chaos erupted due to rumors of death in accident Kamlesh said that when the first shift started at 7 am on Saturday, a rumour spread that Lallan had died after falling from a height during work and that the company management had hidden the body to suppress the matter. This led to anger among workers. SDM Nandan Tiwari said workers vandalised vehicles and set fire to one office. A short post-mortem confirmed that Lallan had died of a heart attack. After nearly five hours and persuasion by officials, the situation was finally brought under control. Tiwari added that workers also raised other issues, including complaints about working hours. The administration has assured them that their concerns will be discussed with the company management. SDOP said – Police team kept on alert SDOP Gaurav Pandey said the exact extent of damage has not yet been assessed. The company has been asked to submit a list of losses, but no details have been provided so far. Videography and photography of the spot have been conducted to identify those involved in the violence. He added that no written complaint has been filed by the company yet, so an FIR has not been registered. Police at Badhaura outpost and Mada station have been kept on alert. Meanwhile, no official statement has been issued by Adani Power regarding the incident. Over 400 workers left work and went home After the unrest on Saturday, workers have begun leaving the plant. On Sunday as well, around 400 labourers packed their belongings and left for their hometowns. Vishnu, a worker from Katni district, said they were sleeping after a night shift when they heard in the morning that a worker had died and people were vandalising property inside the plant. Seeing others leaving, he also decided to return home and said he would come back when the situation normalises. Vandalism at Construction Site, Production Not Affected SDM Nandan Tiwari said construction work is currently underway behind the old power plant. The vandalism occurred at the construction site, so electricity production was not affected. However, construction work at the new plant has been halted for now.