Crackdown on Coal Mafia in Hazaribagh: CISF Recovers 256.71 Tonnes of Coal in 13-Hour Operation – Indian PSU

The term “coal mafia” has been deeply associated with Jharkhand for decades. The state’s vast coal reserves have not only powered industries and thermal power plants across India but have also, historically, been at the centre of allegations involving illegal mining, pilferage, unauthorised transportation and organised coal networks.

The world of Jharkhand’s coal belt has even found its way into popular culture. Bollywood films, most famously Gangs of Wasseypur, have portrayed the nexus of coal, money, crime, power and competing interests against the backdrop of the region. Cinema, of course, is a combination of fact and fiction. But the fact that the coal belt has repeatedly generated stories of illegal mining and organised coal-related activity shows that the subject is not merely a product of cinematic imagination.

It is against this backdrop that the latest operation by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in Hazaribagh assumes significance.

In a major crackdown on suspected illegal coal activity, CISF has recovered 256.71 tonnes of coal — equivalent to 256,710 kilograms — from remote forest areas of Hazaribagh after an operation that continued for nearly 13 hours.

13-hour operation deep inside forest areas

The operation was conducted on August 26 and continued until approximately 3 am on August 27 in the forest areas of Jorakat, Chapri and Sehnda villages in Barkagaon block.

The locations were reportedly around 50 kilometres from the CISF operational base and situated in difficult terrain. More than 100 CISF personnel were deployed in different teams for the operation.

The action was initiated after the CISF received what it described as credible information regarding illegal coal mining, transportation and storage in the area.

The operation was conducted under the direction of Senior Commandant Vivek Sharma, with Deputy Commandant Suresh leading the operation and Assistant Commandant Sanjeev Kumar Meena present during the action.

Drones deployed to locate hidden coal stocks

The operation was not limited to conventional ground searches. CISF also deployed drones for aerial surveillance of the forest area.

The use of drones enabled the force to monitor difficult-to-access stretches of the forest and identify locations where illegal coal mining or storage was suspected. Ground teams subsequently moved to the identified locations and conducted searches.

The combination of aerial surveillance and ground operations proved particularly important given the remote terrain and the fact that the operation continued well into the night.

256.71 tonnes recovered, transported in 10 Hyva trucks

During the searches, CISF teams recovered large quantities of coal allegedly stored illegally at different locations in Jorakat, Chapri and Sehnda.

The recovered coal was loaded onto 10 Hyva trucks and transported to the NTPC weighbridge, where it was formally weighed.

The final recorded quantity was 256.71 tonnes, or 256,710 kilograms.

The coal has been placed in a secure stock/storage area pending further legal action.

The CISF has not established the ownership of the seized coal in the information released about the operation. Therefore, the recovery should not be interpreted as evidence that the coal belonged to NTPC or any particular individual or organisation.

Who was behind the coal?

That may now be the most important question.

A stock of more than 256 tonnes of coal allegedly stored illegally in remote forest locations raises questions about its source, the people responsible for transporting it to the sites, the intended destination and the network that may have been operating behind the activity.

The seizure itself establishes the recovery of a substantial quantity of coal from suspected illegal storage locations. Whether it was part of a larger organised operation or linked to a wider coal-smuggling network will have to be determined through further investigation.

This distinction is important because the term “coal mafia” carries considerable historical weight in Jharkhand. It is widely used in public discourse to describe organised networks allegedly involved in illegal coal mining and trade. But identifying a particular operation as the work of a “coal mafia” requires evidence establishing the involvement of an organised network.

Why the operation matters

The latest CISF action nevertheless highlights the continuing enforcement challenge in Jharkhand’s coal-bearing areas.

Illegal coal mining and unauthorised storage can operate in difficult terrain, away from regular public view. In this case, the CISF had to deploy more than 100 personnel, use drone surveillance and conduct a prolonged operation before the recovered coal could be transported out of the forest.

The fact that the seizure required 10 heavy vehicles to transport the recovered stock further illustrates the scale of the material involved.

The CISF has stated that its campaign against illegal coal mining, transportation and storage in the Hazaribagh area will continue. Surveillance of areas suspected of illegal activity is also expected to be intensified.

For Jharkhand, where coal has historically represented both enormous economic value and a source of conflict and illegal activity, such operations carry significance beyond the quantity seized.

The latest recovery of 256.71 tonnes of coal is therefore not merely another seizure. It raises the larger question that has persisted around Jharkhand’s coalfields for decades:

Who is controlling the illegal coal trade, where is the coal coming from, and where is it ultimately going?

Those answers will determine whether this was an isolated case of illegal storage—or another link in the much larger chain that has kept the phrase “coal mafia” alive in Jharkhand’s public imagination for generations.

Editor’s Note

The latest CISF operation in Hazaribagh is a stark reminder of the deep-rooted problem of coal theft and smuggling in Jharkhand. The 256.71 tonnes of coal recovered after a 13-hour operation involving more than 100 CISF personnel and drone surveillance shows the scale of the challenge. The renewed CISF crackdown follows the clarion call from Union Home Minister Amit Shah for stronger action against illegal coal mining and theft in the state.

But one question cannot be brushed aside: what has the state government and its enforcement machinery been doing all these years? If hundreds of tonnes of illegally stored coal can lie concealed in forest areas and it takes a Central Force operation to uncover it, the effectiveness of the local enforcement mechanism demands serious scrutiny.

Jharkhand has historically been synonymous with the term “coal mafia.” The million-dollar question today is not merely who is stealing the coal, but who is allowing the coal mafia to operate with such impunity—and who is providing them patronage?

We Report – you Decide…