Two senior officials of an ethanol plant were shot dead on Thursday, by a blacklisted vendor, said police on Thursday. The killings took place at a plant of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) in Sejni village under the Musajhag Police Station area, they said, adding that the accused, a former vendor whose firm had been blacklisted earlier this year, has been arrested.
The victims have been identified as Sudhir Gupta (55), deputy general manager, and Harshit Mishra (40), assistant manager (Sales). The accused has been identified as Ajay Pratap Singh, also known as Ramu Singh, who previously worked as a straw (parali) supplier for the plant, said police.
According to a preliminary investigation, Singh arrived at the factory around 1 pm on Thursday along with several others. The vehicle reportedly carried six people, including Ajay, four plant employees, and the driver.
The employees were scheduled to begin their shift at 2 pm.
Investigators said the vehicle was not checked at the plant’s entry point, allowing the accused to cross the security gate. He then entered a conference room where Sudhir Gupta was present. Ajay Pratap Singh allegedly brought an automatic weapon with him and suddenly opened indiscriminate fire on the two officials during a confrontation, killing them on the spot.
After the incident, police teams rushed to the spot.
Deputy inspector general (DIG) Ajay Sahni reached the spot and questioned plant staff as part of the ongoing investigation. Senior superintendent of police Brijesh Singh confirmed that the accused has been taken into custody, and the involvement of the other staffers accompanying him in the vehicle is also being investigated.
Eyewitnesses said Ajay Pratap Singh forcibly entered the plant premises with a group of people and began verbally abusing colleagues of the two officials. When Sudhir Gupta and Harshit Mishra objected, the accused allegedly opened fire on them. Both officers were hit by bullets and collapsed on the spot. The attacker then fled the scene.
The injured officials were rushed to the community health centre (CHC) in Dataganj, where doctors declared them dead.
Following the shooting, heavy police deployment was made at the HPCL plant, Dataganj CHC, and the district hospital. Authorities also restricted entry to the plant premises.
Police said the murder appears to be linked to an earlier dispute. Ajay Pratap Singh’s firm had been blacklisted about three months ago after he allegedly created a disturbance at the plant on February 2. During that incident, he reportedly broke the security cordon and forced his way into the premises. After the altercation, the company terminated his contract and barred his firm from future work.
Officials said Ajay had allegedly threatened to kill Sudhir Gupta after the action was taken against him. At the time, he reportedly claimed links with notorious gangster groups operating in Noida and Shahjahanpur.
Investigators also said the accused had chased the officers’ vehicles for nearly five kilometres after the dispute, repeatedly overtaking them and issuing death threats. Harshit Mishra had filed an FIR regarding the incident on the same day.
Sudhir Gupta was originally a resident of Noida and was currently living in Bareilly. Harshit Mishra, the assistant manager who was also killed in the firing, was a resident of Shahjahanpur.
