By IANS
Ranchi : The killing of Sreeleather shoe company owner Ashish Dey reportedly by extortionists posing as members of an outlawed rebel group from Assam has got traders and businessmen in Jharkhand worried about their security. There was a shutdown in Jamshedpur — where Dey was killed — Saturday to protest the killing.
Apparently Dey had refused to pay the Rs.30 million demanded by the extortionists who pretended to be members if the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). He was shot dead by motorcyclists near his Jamshedpur home Friday morning.
The shutdown called by traders and businessmen saw schools, colleges and shops closed and roads deserted with hardly any traffic. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some other parties supported the strike.
The victim’s elder brother has denied that any extremist group was involved in Friday’s killing. “It was a purely criminal act,” Shankar Dey told reporters after the killing.
Two prominent businessmen have been killed earlier in the steel city of Jamshedpur. Vikas Debuka and Om Prakash Kabra were killed in 2004 and 2002 respectively when they refused to pay extortion money.
The business community of Jharkhand is looking for alternative methods for their security now.
“We will have to find other ways of getting security. The state government has failed to provide us security. We will seek arms licences,” said Ashok Saraf, a businessman in state capital Ranchi.
The Federation of Jharkhand Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FJCCI) called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. “Jharkhand is gradually getting worse than Bihar. The law and order situation is worsening day by day and traders and businessmen are finding it difficult to survive here,” said Manoj Naredi, vice president of FJCCI.
The Jharkhand Small Scale Industries (JSSI) body has decided not to participate in the trade fair organised by the government on the eve of the state’s establishment day Nov 15.
“Why should we participate in a trade fair when the government cannot provide us security? What is the need to expand business when we cannot live safely?” asks Vikas Singh, president of JSSI.
Dey, co-owner of footwear and accessories major Sreeleathers, had been instrumental in making it one of the prominent shoe companies in the country. He was also into the hotel business and had opened Smita Hotel in Jamshedpur.