Meghalaya: Death Toll Rises to 30 in Illegal Coal Mine Explosion in East Jaintia Hills: NHRC Issues Notices

Meghalaya, the death toll in the dynamite blasting incident at an illegal coal mining site in the Thangskoo area of East Jaintia Hills district has risen to 30. Deputy Commissioner of East Jaintia Hills, Manish Kumar informed the media that the explosion occurred on the morning of February 5.

The district administration received information in the afternoon and immediately rushed to the site. In coordination with the state government, the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and Search and Rescue Teams were mobilised. Rescue operations began the same day and continued till February 9.

Initially, 28 deaths were confirmed, while two more victims succumbed to injuries at Silchar Medical College in Assam, taking the total number of fatalities to 30. The Deputy Commissioner said the district administration is processing ex-gratia payments for the next of kin. Meanwhile, the district administration has launched a strict enforcement drive against illegal coal mining.

NHRC Issues Notices To Meghalaya On Mine Blast And Haryana On Capativity Of 5 Children 

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a reported blast at an illegal coal mine that killed several workers in the Thangskai area of East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya. The Commission has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Meghalaya, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.

Reportedly, the incident has left several others trapped at unspecified depths. The Commission has observed that if the contents of the news report are true, it raises serious issues of violation of the human rights of the victims. The report is expected to include the status of the rescue operation, compensation to the aggrieved families and police investigation as well as steps taken by the authorities to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

The NHRC) has also taken suo motu cognisance of the report case of the captivity of 5 children at Gurugram, Haryana. The Commission has issued a notice to Haryana’s Police Commissioner calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.

According to the media report, the children were detained for an under-construction building of Gurugram by a contractor and his four workers for an under-construction building in Gurugram on suspicion that they were attempting to steal some construction material. The commission said that if the contents of the news report are true, they raise serious issues of violation of the human rights of the victim children.