‘Fellow Executive’ Killed on Duty: IOCL Officers’ Association Warns of Work-to-Rule
Association says it had repeatedly warned IOCL management about threats and assaults on field officers; demands mandatory risk assessment and police support for sensitive assignments
The Indian Oil Officers’ Association (IOOA) has served a formal notice of protest on Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) management following the killing of Mahesh Shelke, Field Officer, Nanded North Retail Sales Area, who was fatally stabbed while discharging his official duties during an operation at a petrol pump in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district.
In a letter dated October 7, 2026, addressed to the Director (HR), IOCL, the association placed on record its “strongest protest” over Shelke’s death and said the incident raised serious questions about the adequacy of existing security arrangements and risk-assessment mechanisms for officers working in the field.
The association said it had repeatedly warned the management about the safety and security of field officers. According to IOOA, it first highlighted incidents of physical assaults on officers on September 26, 2023, when it sought clear policies, guidelines and comprehensive SOPs for their safety. The issue was raised again on March 16, 2026, when the association specifically demanded comprehensive SOPs and institutional support for ensuring the safety and security of officers on duty.
IOOA has now demanded immediate and time-bound measures, including comprehensive SOPs, mandatory risk assessment for sensitive assignments, police or security support for such operations, institutional legal support, strengthened security arrangements at vulnerable locations and improvement of facilities at remote, vulnerable and difficult locations.
The association has also announced a phased protest programme. Officers will wear black badges on October 23, followed by gate meetings from October 24 to 29. If corrective measures are not taken, the association has announced that it will commence work-to-rule from October 30. The October 7 communication has been served as a formal notice of protest with 15 days’ prior intimation.
Shelke was killed on October 6 during an IOCL operation to seal and take possession of M/s Sai Umesh Petroleum at Amba village in Vasmat taluka of Hingoli district. Police-based reports said the incident occurred at around 4.30 pm, following an argument involving the IOCL team and members of the petrol pump owner’s family. Shelke reportedly suffered seven stab wounds and died at the spot. Police subsequently launched an investigation and formed a team to trace the suspected attacker.
The suspected attacker has been identified in regional reports as Umesh Pandavveer, who allegedly fled after the assault. Police have not, in the publicly available reports examined so far, established the complete circumstances or motive behind the confrontation.
The incident occurred during an official company process involving the petrol outlet. Preliminary information available to IndianPSU.com had indicated that the outlet had remained inactive and had last received fuel in May 2026, while discussions had taken place between IOCL officials and the dealer concerning surrender of the outlet. However, police-based reporting has described the outlet as having been non-functional earlier but having resumed operations shortly before the incident. The exact circumstances behind IOCL’s decision to seal or take possession of the outlet therefore remain to be established.
The latest IOOA protest notice gives the incident a wider significance. The association’s March 16, 2026 representation had already warned IOCL management about increasing incidents of threats, intimidation and physical assaults against officers. It said officers working in challenging operational conditions had faced such incidents involving external stakeholders including transporters, vendors, dealers, agents and local pressure groups.
That representation also called for IOCL to take institutional responsibility for cases in which officers were required to lodge FIRs following incidents arising during their official duties. The association demanded that such matters be handled by the corporation in coordination with local and state authorities rather than leaving individual officers to pursue them on their own.
IOOA’s concerns date back even further. In its September 26, 2023 communication, the association referred to incidents at Solapur Terminal, Panipat MC, Trishundi BP and Jodhpur Terminal, describing physical assaults on officers while they were carrying out their official responsibilities. It said the safety and security situation within the marketing division had become increasingly alarming.
The association’s latest intervention therefore places a direct question before IOCL management: whether existing mechanisms are adequate to protect officers when they are sent to undertake potentially contentious operations involving dealers, vendors or other external stakeholders.
The IOOA has specifically called for mandatory risk assessment and police/security support for sensitive assignments, measures that could fundamentally alter the way field operations involving potentially vulnerable locations are planned and executed.
For IOCL, the immediate challenge is now two-fold—ensuring accountability in the investigation into Shelke’s killing and addressing the broader safety concerns raised by its officers’ association. The October 30 work-to-rule deadline gives the corporation a limited window to respond to the association’s demands before the dispute potentially escalates into an organised employee action.
The killing of Shelke has thus moved beyond an isolated criminal incident. The latest IOOA letter indicates that the officers’ association considers it the latest manifestation of a longer-standing safety problem and is demanding concrete institutional safeguards for officers deployed in the field.
