SHILLONG, Feb 18: Report of the death of two labourers from Assam inside a coal mine in Shallang area of West Khasi Hills seemed to have taken the state’s authorities by surprise.
According to the Superintendent of West Khasi Hills, Herbert G Lyngdoh, the matter has come to light only through media reports while they were otherwise unaware of the incident.
Lyngdoh, however, said the reports of the duo dying inside a coal mine in Meghalaya is yet to be verified. He added that he has directed the Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) to conduct an inquiry into the matter and is awaiting reports.
According to local sources, the deceased have been identified as Ainuddin Ali (28), a resident of number 3 Malibari village, and Sukur Ali (30), a resident of Botiamari village.
Both villages fall under the Boko area of Kamrup district in Assam, which shares a border with West Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya.
In a viral video clip, a villager, when asked by a local correspondent, said the duo had gone to work in the mine at Shallang last week.
Meanwhile, RTI activist Agnes Kharshiing has suggested that the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC) should intervene, even as she stated that there are reports of three more labourers still trapped in the mines.
Kharshiing, who has been at the forefront of exposing the illegal coal mining activities and who was also brutally assaulted in 2018, has stated she is sure that the government is hiding the evidence and trying to cover up the case, which is why she advocated for an independent inquiry.
She said that she is exploring whether the CBI can be approached directly to conduct an inquiry into the case.
Stating that the recurring incidents of coal mine tragedy and the piling deaths of labourers are but clear indications that illegal mining is going on with impunity, the activist said that there are enough evidence for the government to take necessary action.
It may be recalled that the chief minister had, on Thursday, stated that allegations should be backed by documentary evidence to initiate action.
“When the people give the report to the media, they carry the news from the people and they bring it out and it is the chief secretary office that has to find out what are these reports,” said Kharshiing.
Moreover, she expressed fears that the Nokma (Village Headman) of Nengchigen in West Khasi Hills, who filed an FIR on illegal rat-hole coal mining activity, may be threatened or intimidated. If that happens, Kharshiing said that any such persons threatening or intimidating the Nokma should be arrested.