Worker, 18, dies in knife attack at Butibori steel plant; alleged minor accused
Rajeev Kumar Sahni died after being stabbed inside Sharda Shree Ispat Limited at MIDC Butibori, Nagpur, allegedly by a minor who the company says did not work there.
A quarrel turned fatal on Thursday inside Sharda Shree Ispat Limited at MIDC Butibori in Nagpur. A minor, reportedly under 18 years of age, allegedly attacked worker Rajeev Kumar Sahni, about 18, with a knife. Sahni was seriously injured and died during treatment.
According to sources, Sahni and the alleged minor had an existing dispute. The two reportedly had an argument during work and tension kept rising. It is feared that the quarrel turned violent because of an old enmity. What the quarrel was about, whether the two had fought before, and whether anyone informed the company management or its security department are not yet clear.
The actual cause of the dispute, how the attack happened and how the accused reached the inside of the company with a knife can be officially confirmed only after investigation.
The incident has raised serious questions about the company's security arrangements. The company has said the minor who carried out the attack did not work there. If the accused had no connection with the company, how did he get inside with a knife? Was there no monitoring of the movement of outsiders, or was there a major security lapse?
Other questions remain. Did any worker call him in? Was he searched at the main gate? Did security personnel fail to notice the knife he was carrying?
In a factory with heavy machinery, metalwork and hazardous operations, controlling the entry of outsiders and securing the premises are considered essential. The knife attack has raised questions about the entry system, security checks and preparedness for emergencies. The company's statement that the accused was not its employee does not answer these questions. How he got inside and what arrangements existed to prevent such an incident should be made clear.
If there was already tension between the two, whether the company had any arrangement to control fights on its premises is also a matter for the investigation. Whether the two had argued before the incident, whether nearby workers saw the quarrel escalate and whether anyone tried to intervene can be established only through statements of eyewitnesses and questioning of those present.
