The deceased, Ranjan Kumar (27), was a resident of Bihar and had been hired as a wage labourer by the DVC.

Officials at the DVC said the incident occurred at 11 am when construction work was going on at the thermal pillar. According to eyewitnesses, Ranjan was on top of the pillar when it broke off and he fell. The part of the pillar that broke off apparently fell on top of him. Three labourers were also injured in the incident and have been admitted to the Bankura Medical College.

The incident occurred in Unit 7 and 8, which has been in the news for similar reasons. Earlier this year in June, four construction workers died when the crane they were riding on to the top of the Paharpur cooling tower in Unit 7 and 8 snapped. After the incident local Trinamool supporters had blocked National Highway 60 and locked up the factory gates to demand compensation for the victims.

Today also, after the accident at the plant, local Trinamool supporters locked up the gates and refused to open them unless the victim’s family was adequately compensated. Till late evening the gates remained locked.

The police, meanwhile, said that the victim’s family in Bihar has been notified. Superintendent of Police, Bankura, Vishal Garg said: “There has been one casualty at the site and we are probing the cause of the death.”

A senior DVC official said: “We have heard of the casualty and we will be conducting an inquiry into the cause of the accident. We are also negotiating a compensation amount that will be paid to the family.” He agreed that the accident had occurred in the same Unit as last time.