By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Jan 5: Two persons have allegedly died in a dynamite blast that occurred on December 23 at a stone quarry at Thangsko (Mynsngat) village in East Jaintia Hills, a delayed report said here on Monday.
Videos of several persons suffering burn injuries have gone viral after being widely shared across the state.
Sources claimed that a suspected Bangladeshi national died on the spot after the blast while a 34-year-old man, who suffered burn injuries, succumbed to his injuries at the Shillong Civil Hospital.
According to records at the police booth of the hospital, Ashok Tamang was admitted to the surgical ward (Bed No. 32) on December 23 last year after the incident which reportedly took place at around 7 am on the same day. The records further show that he succumbed to his injuries on January 1.
The incident raised questions on the claims of East Jaintia Hills Police that no blasting or explosion had taken place in the district.
Speaking to reporters outside the Shillong Civil Hospital on Monday evening, Civil Society Women’s Organisation president Agnes Kharshiing said she had personally verified the hospital police booth register after official statements dismissed reports of a blast.
“I already had the information that Ashok Tamang died on January 1 due to dynamite blasting. That is why, we came to the hospital police booth to verify the details,” Kharshiing said, adding that the register confirmed Tamang’s admission on December 23 with burn injuries sustained in a blasting incident.
Alleging that attempts were made to conceal the incident, Kharshiing called for transparency and accountability from the authorities. She disclosed that Justice (retd) B.P. Katakey sought a police report on the matter.
On reports of a second death, Kharshiing said she had received information that another person, who allegedly died in the incident, was a Bangladeshi national. She added that no further details were available.
Earlier in the day, East Jaintia Hills Police had dismissed as baseless social media claims of a deadly explosion linked to illegal coal mining in Thangsko (Mynsngat) village, which allegedly resulted in two deaths on December 23, 2025, and January 1, 2026.
Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar had stated that the videos circulating online were not from the district. “Enquiries were made with all police stations, and we are also in constant touch with village headmen and local residents. The visuals are not connected to this district,” he said, adding that verification across all eight police stations in the district had revealed no such incident.
