Freed from Detention: The Sao Saga at NTPC Mines

In a recent development, former Jharkhand minister Yogendra Sao, his wife Nirmala Devi, and five others were released from custody on a PR bond following their detention at the Keredari Police Station. They were apprehended for staging a protest that disrupted NTPC operations, according to Officer-in-Charge Ganesh Kumar.

The group was detained for allegedly organizing a dharna in front of colliery pits and dispatch centers, which was reportedly causing substantial financial losses for NTPC. Officer Kumar confirmed that they were picked up from their residence in Pagar and were released later that night.

A senior police official suggested that Sao and his wife were possibly encouraging laborers to protest over compensation issues at NTPC’s Keredari and Chatti-Bariatu coal mines. The agitation spanned from January 21 until their detention on Thursday. Authorities report that the situation at the NTPC site has returned to normal.