Ex-Employee Arrested for Gunning Down Two Senior HPCL Officials at Badaun Biogas Plant

A disgruntled former employee fatally shot two senior Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) executives at a compressed biogas facility in Badaun's Sajni village on Thursday afternoon. The shocking double murder took place under the jurisdiction of the Musajhag police station.

The victims have been identified as 55-year-old Sudhir Gupta, the Chief Project Manager residing in Noida, and 40-year-old Harshit Mishra, a Deputy Manager hailing from Bareilly.

According to law enforcement, the assailant drove onto the plant premises and unleashed a barrage of gunfire using an automatic weapon. Both Gupta and Mishra sustained two to three gunshot wounds each and were killed instantly. The sudden burst of violence sparked immediate panic among the facility's workforce, who scrambled for cover as the shooter sped away in his vehicle.

Upon receiving distress calls, police forces from several nearby precincts rushed to the scene. The severely injured executives were transported to the Dataganj Community Health Centre (CHC), where medical personnel pronounced them dead upon arrival.

The suspect was quickly identified as Ajay Pratap Singh, a former operator at the biogas plant. Having been terminated roughly six months ago, Singh allegedly harbored a bitter ongoing dispute with the plant's management. Sources indicate a dangerous history of conflict: Singh had previously trespassed onto the plant grounds on February 6 to assault the same two officers, resulting in cross-complaints from both parties. Tragically, Gupta had even submitted a formal written complaint to local authorities in January regarding the threat Singh posed, but no preventive action was taken.

Police have since apprehended Singh and officially booked him on murder charges. A comprehensive investigation is actively underway to piece together the full timeline of events.

In the wake of the daytime killings, a heavy security presence has been deployed to secure the plant. Top district authorities, including District Magistrate Avnish Rai, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr. Brijesh Kumar Singh, and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ajay Sahni, visited the crime scene to review the security situation and interview staff members.