KHLIEHRIAT, June 4: As rescuers race against time to pump water out of the 500-ft deep mine in an apparently losing battle to pull out the trapped miners, their families have given up all hopes of seeing them alive and have only one request on their lips: “Do whatever you can to pull out the bodies of our loved ones so that we may give them a decent burial.”
The Shillong Times was able to reach out to two families whose kin are among those ill-fated miners who descended into the pit on that fateful Sunday.
Anwarul Islam Borbhuiya, referred to as Shaharul, a resident of Katigorah under Cachar district and Abdus Sukkur, a resident of Badarpur under Karimganj district, are the two “unidentified” miners trapped with four others in the coal pit. Initial reports had claimed that five labourers were trapped in the mine of which three were identified as Abdul Kari, Abdul Kalam (both from Assam) and Shyamcharan Debbarma from Tripura. The identity of the sixth miner is yet to be determined.
Anwarul’s brother Faqrul Islam squarely blamed Nizamuddin Ali, the Sirdar (contractor) for the family’s loss. “Shaharul was a mason and not a miner. He had last visited home to cast his vote in the Assam Assembly election. After returning to Meghalaya, he was unable to find work because of the lockdown. On May 29, he called us saying he had found some work with one Nizamuddin but did not elaborate on the nature of work. The next morning (Sunday) he called again saying he was going down a pit to extract coal. This was to be his last contact with us,” an anguished Faqrul said, lamenting that his brother died on the first day of joining work.
Asked why he had not filed any missing report or police complaint, Faqrul said that a high-ranking police officer and the OC of the local thana had visited their home and told them to wait as all attempts were being made to pump the water out of the mine.
Abdus Sukkur’s brother, Muslim Uddin, said that the accident occurred at 10.30 am on Sunday and not in the evening as was being claimed. Asked to reveal whatever he knew about the incident, Muslim Uddin said that the family learnt of the incident at around 4.30 pm when someone from the site at Umpleng called him to confirm his brother’s name and revealed the details.
Claiming that there was a cover-up, he disclosed that after the accident occurred, those present at the scene, allegedly at the behest of Nizamuddin, dismantled the labour camps at the site and dumped soil, wooden planks and burnt engine oil from the crane before escaping.
“My brother used to work in Assam Quarry but due to the lockdown there was no work. Around four months back he went to Khliehriat after Nizamuddin promised him a job with a fat pay cheque,” Muslim Uddin said.
Asked why he had not come forward to file a missing complaint, he revealed that some persons associated with the absconding Sirdar had approached him with an offer of one lakh rupees and also promising that the body would be retrieved and sent to the family. “Later, they backed out saying that the body, even if retrieved from the pit, could not be transported to Badarpur due to the strict lockdown enforcement in Meghalaya,” Muslim Uddin said.
Stating that money was of no use to him, he fervently pleaded for his brother’s body to be sent home for the family to arrange a decent burial for him. “I owe this to my brother,” he added.
Asked why his brother had accepted such a risky job, Muslim Uddin said, “I do menial jobs only and don’t earn much. He took it upon himself to take care of the family.”
When the same question was asked to Faqrul, he had a one-word response. “Poverty.”
Shaharul has a two-year-old daughter while Abdus Sukkur has three children, aged 6, 4 and 2.
