Dhanbad: A controversy broke out on Sunday after a video surfaced showing a senior official from Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), removing the shoes and tying the pyjamas strings of the Union Minister of State for Coal, Satish Chandra Dubey. The video, which was taken during the minister’s visit to Munidih underground mines, quickly went viral, sparking widespread outrage on social media on Monday. However, BCCL, responding to the video, termed it “false and misleading.”
BCCL GM Officer Fixes Union Minister’s Pyjama
The incident allegedly occurred when Minister Dubey was preparing to enter the underground mine at Munidih. General Manager (GM) Arindam Mustafi was purportedly seen assisting the minister by taking off his shoes and handing them to another person. In the same clip, the BCCL official is purportedly seen tying the minister's pyjama string. However, the official involved has declined to comment on the controversy, stating that he would speak only after reviewing the video.
BCCL, in its statement, said "The official was helping the Minister of State for Coal and Mines to fix the belt that is used to carry the headlamp battery."
"A claim circulating on social media suggesting that a BCCL official adjusted the minister's pyjamas is entirely false and misleading," stated a BCCL representative.
The official, as per PTI, clarified that recent reports inaccurately depicted the minister's shoes being removed by a BCCL staff member during Minister Dubey's visit. However, in reality, when the minister removed his mining boots after inspecting the underground mine, the BCCL official merely set them aside and handed them to staff for proper storage.
According to protocol, all mining equipment, including boots, helmets, and other gear, are counted and stored after a mine visit. Additionally, boots are not manually removed; instead, an instrument is used to mechanically take off the boots, he further explained.
In response to the viral footage, Santosh Singh, Dhanbad District President of the Congress party called for an apology from the minister. "If a GM-ranked official is removing the minister's shoes, it’s a matter of deep shame," Singh said. "The minister should promote the official to the rank of CMD, disregarding all rules, as a reward for sycophancy."
Congress J’Khand Prez onBCCL viral video controversy
Singh also criticised the minister's earlier remarks about the state's handling of electricity payments, accusing the BJP of leaving unpaid electricity bills during their rule. He further questioned why the central government, despite conducting mining in Jharkhand, fails to pay the required royalty.
During his visit, Minister Dubey inspected various coal project sites, including subsidence-prone areas near Sendra-Bansjora, the fire-affected patch of the Ena colliery, and the underground mine at Munidih. He also inaugurated a mini science lab at a government high school in Rajganj, established under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of Coal India Limited.