Police said Motiram Pal, 59, was found dead at the guest house of Jindal Steel and Power Limited in Sundargarh on Monday morning.
It is likely that someone hit him on the head blunt object,” said Jyoti Ranjan Pati, an inspector at the Lahunipad police station. He was found dead when the caretaker went to his room to serve tea.
Although the exact cause of the incident has not been established, it is believed that a mining dispute led to the murder. The incident shocked company officials and workers.
Demand in India remains a bright spot in major steel markets as domestic consumption is expected to rise in "high single digits" over the next 12 to 15 months, a senior said executive director of Moody's Investors Service this Monday.
India, the world's second largest producer of crude steel, showed an increase in consumption of finished steel by 11.4% during April-October to 65.5 million tons.
