BSCPL Staff in Assam to Have Armed Guards

With two employees of BSCPL Infra Ltd kidnapped and released in Assam in a span of 11 months, the questions point towards security being provided for the company’s employees working in the state.

After the recent kidnap of B Ankama Rao, the company will now have armed guards with the employees even while travelling from one point to the other.

The company is engaged in foundation work for power transmission towers in Assam, a project of Power Grid Corporation. Close to 150 employees of the company including engineers, supervisors, operators, etc, are working in Assam.

Ankama Rao was kidnapped by six heavily armed personnel on December 22 and released on Tuesday. In a similar incident, another employee of the corporation Paidi Raju was kidnapped in February and released later by another group based in Assam. Reportedly both of them were released by the groups without taking ransom.

The company works at 4 to 5 sites in Assam at a time. B Seenaiah, managing director, BSCPL Infra Ltd informed that after Paidi Raju’s kidnap, armed home guards were providing security to the company’s employees. ‘’On the whole 65 home guards provide security to the employees working at various sites in Assam,’’ he told Express.

Ankama Rao was kidnapped while he was travelling in a vehicle along with three supervisors to a work site. He was kept in captivity for nine days before being released.

Now, after Ankama Rao’s kidnap, some of the guards are also accompanying vehicles in which the employees commute between their camp and work sites, Seenaiah said. He said the kidnappings have not disturbed his employees and no body has quit work till date. He added that Paidi Raju is also working in Assam.

Ankama Rao also stated that he has been working for the company for the last ten years and intends to resume work. He said that after being kidnapped, he was shifted from one place to another, was provided food regularly and the kidnappers did not harass him.