Guwahati: A local organization in Assam has sought that the state government release the findings of a judicial inquiry into the tragic rat-hole coal mine accident that occurred on January 6, 2025, in the Umrangso area of Dima Hasao district.
Nine individuals were trapped and subsequently died in the mine after it flooded. Their bodies were recovered after an extensive 44-day search and rescue operation involving multiple agencies, including the Indian Navy and the National Disaster Response Force. The final five bodies were retrieved on February 19.
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The judicial inquiry commission, led by retired Gauhati High Court Justice Anima Hazarika, was constituted to investigate the incident. Notably, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had stated on January 16 that the commission would submit its report within three months.
However, Daniel Langthasa, convenor of the Sixth Schedule Protection Committee and a former member of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC), expressed strong dissatisfaction that the report remains unreleased.
“The commission was given three months to submit its report. Six months have elapsed but the government has not made the report public,” Langthasa told the media.
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He emphasized the lack of updates and the failure to punish those involved in the illegal mining activities, despite one arrest (Punish Nunisa) made earlier in connection with the incident.
Langthasa highlighted a disturbing pattern of mine tragedies in the district where victims’ families have historically been denied justice. He questioned the continued operation of rat-hole coal mining in the district, especially given the National Green Tribunal’s ban on such activities in 2014.
Following the mine incident, an examination revealed the presence of 220 mines in the Umrangso area alone. At the time, the Chief Minister had pledged that the Mines and Minerals Department would work with central agencies to close all existing rat-hole mines.
Langthasa questioned how the NCHAC, which governs the district and is currently ruled by the BJP under Chief Executive Member Debolal Gorlosa, could have been unaware of such a vast number of illegal mining operations.
Beyond the mining tragedy, Langthasa voiced deep concern over a rise in mysterious deaths and kidnappings in the district, which had only recently emerged from years of militancy after insurgent groups reached peace agreements with the government.
“There have been several cases in recent years where people were killed or kidnapped. The families are still waiting for justice,” he stated, citing the 2007 murders of his father, Nindu Langthasa (then a council member), and then Chief Executive Member Purnendu Langthasa, whose families have awaited justice for 18 years.
He also described a growing social crisis, with district youth increasingly succumbing to drug abuse and engaging in crimes like theft and dacoity. “These things have been happening for the last 4-5 years. We never had such things in our society earlier,” Langthasa lamented, suggesting that such crimes occur when people lose faith in those in power.
Adding to his allegations, Langthasa claimed that land in the district, legally protected for tribal communities, is being unlawfully converted to private land and allocated to private entities.
He accused the NCHAC of failing to uphold its mandate to protect customary and land laws, alleging that land is being granted for coke and other industries without consultation with village authorities.