3 min readRanchiJun 1, 2026 05:40 AM IST
What began as a dispute over leftover coal collected from a railway siding ended in tragedy in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district, where a 25-year-old pregnant Dalit woman died after she intervened in an altercation among local residents, triggering arrests, political allegations and demands for a high-level probe.
The incident took place on Friday night at the Dhaura coal site under Bermo police station limits.
According to police, Anita Devi was among a group of women who had gathered to collect leftover coal from a railway siding area — a common practice among local families who use it for household needs. Investigators said a quarrel broke out over the sharing of the coal, escalating into a physical confrontation.
By the time the scuffle ended, Anita Devi had collapsed. She was rushed by family members to the Regional Hospital in Dhori, where doctors declared her dead.
The circumstances surrounding her death are now under investigation.
Bermo police station in-charge Rohit Kumar said preliminary findings suggest there was pushing and scuffling during the altercation and that Anita, who was pregnant, fell unconscious during the incident.
“Women in the locality regularly collect leftover coal from the siding area for household use. The dispute appears to have started over sharing of the coal,” Kumar told The Indian Express. “No visible external injuries have been found so far. The exact cause of death will become clear after medical examination and further investigation.”
On Saturday, Anita’s husband, Mahesh Bhuiyan, filed a police complaint, alleging that the altercation had turned violent. He also claimed that police were attempting to shield those responsible for his wife’s death.
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Following the complaint, police launched raids and arrested six people.
In his statement, Mahesh alleged that the dispute originated over the collection and distribution of coal from the railway siding area, which many local residents depend upon for daily use. He also highlighted that Anita was pregnant at the time of the incident.
Political fallout
The case has since acquired a political dimension.
The BJP described the incident as a “brutal murder” and accused the district administration of attempting to manage the fallout. Party leaders alleged that arrests were made only after they threatened to launch a road blockade in Bokaro.
BJP state general secretary Amar Kumar Bauri demanded the arrest of what he termed the “main conspirator”, compensation for the victim’s family and an inquiry into the conduct of police and medical officials involved in the case.
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The party has also sought an investigation into the role of district authorities and local police in handling the matter.
Police, however, have maintained that the incident stemmed from a local dispute over coal collection and said the investigation remains underway. Officials said the postmortem report and other forensic findings would be crucial in determining the exact circumstances that led to Anita Devi’s death.
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