Following reports of 15 accused in the Dadri lynching case being employed by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), the power conglomerate made a statement saying the reports were “false and baseless”, reported NDTV.
A statement by NTPC read:
Neither any such agreement has been made to provide jobs to the accused of Akhlaq lynching case nor any job has been provided to them.
On Saturday, a report in The Hindu alleged that the 15 accused were given contractual jobs by NTPC. The national daily claimed local BJP MLA Tejpal Nagar facilitated the recruitment.
The Hindu article quotes Nagar as saying that the accused were “innocents” and that he requested the NTPC management to create jobs for them since he feels they deserve a “better deal”.
Confirming the recruitment, a spokesperson from the NTPC told The Hindu: “Yes, we have agreed to give jobs to unemployed youths of Bishahra. It has nothing to do with Akhlaq’s lynching. Contractual jobs have been offered to many residents of Bishahra because it is the NTPC’s policy to give jobs to all project-affected persons based on their qualification and expertise.”
Nagar, however, has denied asking NTPC to give jobs to the accused.
On the night of 28 September 2015, fifty-five-year-old Akhlaq was lynched by a mob in Bisada, Dadri over allegations of storing beef. His son Danish sustained severe injuries in the attack.
All those accused of killing Akhlaq and severely injuring his son Danish are now out on bail.
The NTPC, a Maharatna company, offers jobs to people who are affected by its projects. According to The Hindu, 30 years ago, land was acquired from the people of the Bisada district for the setting up an NTPC Plant in the vicinity.
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