New Delhi: Two officers of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) were shot dead inside the company’s compressed biogas (CBG) plant in Sajini village in Uttar Pradesh’s Budaun district on Thursday, in a brazen daylight attack that has raised serious questions about policing and security at industrial facilities.
Follow The PSUWatch Channel on WhatsApp
Police said the accused, Ajay Pratap Singh, a supplier of crop stubble (parali) to the plant, had been threatening Deputy General Manager Sudhir Gupta. Gupta had blacklisted Singh’s firm eight months ago and prohibited his entry into the plant after complaints of indecent behaviour, threats to employees and issues related to the supply of parali.
Police said Singh allegedly carried out his threats on March 12 afternoon. The 55-year-old Gupta was days away from leaving the company. He had opted for voluntary retirement after receiving threats and fearing for his life. His retirement was due at the end of March.
Police said the attack took place around 1.30 pm. According to investigators, Singh first stopped a Bolero vehicle that was ferrying HPCL employees to the plant. He allegedly took away the phones of all occupants and forced the driver to take him to the facility. Since the vehicle belonged to HPCL, it was not checked at the gate.
Police said Singh then entered the administrative block, where Gupta and Assistant Manager (Sales) Harshit Mishra were present. According to officers, Singh created a ruckus inside the premises and hurled abuses. He demanded that Gupta come out even as the security staff tried to restrain him. Hearing the commotion, Gupta and Mishra stepped outside.
Police said Singh then pulled out a country-made pistol and aimed it at Gupta. As Gupta tried to run back into the building, Mishra attempted to stop the attacker. Police said Singh allegedly shot Mishra twice. He then chased Gupta and shot him twice. Both officials collapsed on the scene, while Singh walked out of the premises. The two later died of their injuries.
Police said Singh had been threatening Gupta for months after his firm was blacklisted. He allegedly made threatening phone calls and even followed Gupta’s vehicle and intercepted it on earlier occasions. On February 4, Gupta filed a complaint alleging that Singh had threatened to kill him if the blacklist order was not withdrawn.
Police said the complaint was registered as a non-cognisable report (NCR), and no further action was taken. Senior officers later said the SHO should have conducted a preliminary inquiry and informed the court about the need to convert the NCR into a cognisable offence if necessary.
Following the killings, Musajhag SHO Ajay Kumar and Sub-Inspector Dharmendra Kumar have been suspended for dereliction of duty. Budaun SSP Brijesh Kumar Singh has also been transferred. A departmental inquiry has been initiated.
A senior officer said Singh, who is known locally as a strongman, walked to the Musajhag police station after committing the murders, accompanied by a crowd of local residents. Police took him into custody while the crowd remained outside the station.
In the early hours of Friday, police said a team took Singh to recover the firearm used in the murders. Officers said he had dumped the weapon in thickets near Sajini village. Police claimed Singh located the firearm, fired at the police team and tried to escape. The police returned fire, injuring him in both legs.
Gupta hailed from Noida, while Mishra, 34, was from Pilibhit. Gupta’s son, Arush, told the media that his father had opted for voluntary retirement because of the threats to his life. The VRS had been approved and he was expected to return home after his tenure ended on March 31.
Mishra’s father, Sunil Mishra, alleged that the accused enjoyed patronage from local politicians. He claimed police had failed to act on complaints because of political pressure.
In a statement posted on X, HPCL said it was deeply saddened by the loss of the two officers. “Both officers were valued members of the HPCL family who served the organisation with dedication, professionalism, and integrity. Their sudden and untimely passing is an immense loss to the entire HPCL community,” the company said.
“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with their families, loved ones, and colleagues during this extremely difficult time. HPCL is extending all possible support to the bereaved families.”
Law-and-order has been presented repeatedly by the Yogi Adityanath government as a central achievement and a core poll plank — a narrative used to justify the state’s drive to attract investment and claim a safer business environment since 2017. The political pitch, which has accorded Aditayanath two consecutive victories since 2017 in the state's Assembly elections, now collides with a violent, public breakdown of security at a strategic energy facility.
Uttar Pradesh has been aggressively pursuing a biogas expansion — both under national initiatives such as SATAT and through state-level programmes — arguing that CBG plants will convert vast agricultural waste into fuel, curb stubble burning and create local employment. The Budaun plant itself was opened as part of that push and with the aim of setting a model for more such plants in the state.
Follow PSU Watch on LinkedIN
The political and industrial consequence is immediate: investors and operators deciding where to place factories, feedstock collection points and distribution hubs routinely factor security and enforcement risk into project economics. An assailant who can enter a state-backed energy facility, gun down senior staff in daylight and then walk to a police station surrounded by a crowd will sharpen those calculations — from insurance premiums and private security costs to the willingness of equipment suppliers and lenders to underwrite projects in the most affected districts.
(PSU Watch– India's Business News centre that places the spotlight on PSUs, Bureaucracy, Defence and Public Policy is now on Google News. Click here to follow. Also, join PSU Watch Channel in your Telegram. You may also follow us on Twitter here and stay updated.)