A tragic incident has unfolded in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district, where nine miners lost their lives due to a mine collapse that occurred during illegal coal mining. The accident took place in the Jamunia area, falling under the jurisdiction of the Baghmara police station. Rescue and relief efforts are currently underway at the site. Authorities are yet to identify the deceased miners, and the event has caused significant distress in the area.
JDU MLA Saryu Roy highlighted the situation on X, reporting that nine miners died in a mine collapse due to illegal mining operations in Jamunia, Dhanbad. He mentioned that the illegal mining mafia is attempting to conceal the evidence related to the deaths. He promptly informed the Dhanbad SSP about the situation. According to an eyewitness, the illegal mining was being carried out under the protection of a mining mafia member named Chun Chun.
BJP state spokesperson Pratul Shahdev also responded to the incident, expressing concern that illegal mining in Baghmara, Dhanbad, has led to the loss of lives. He stated that illegal mining is widespread in the state under the present administration, which has led to recurring mine collapses in Dhanbad. He referred to previous incidents in Nirsa, Tetulmari, and Kalubathan, where miners lost their lives. He expressed his grief over the recent deaths of nine miners.
He further urged for a CBI investigation into the incident, calling it a case of institutional murder by the state government. He alleged that the government is aware of the illegal mining activities but does not take action, allowing the mining mafias to operate with impunity, which he described as a form of murder. He called for strict action against the concerned police station in-charge and police officers. Notably, this isn’t the first instance of fatalities resulting from illegal mining.
A similar incident occurred 15 days ago, on July 5, where four individuals were killed in a mine collapse during illegal mining operations at the open pit mine of CCL’s Karma project, situated in the Kuju police station area of Ramgarh district, Jharkhand. Four others sustained injuries. The deceased were identified as Nirmal Munda, Wakil Karmali, Imtiaz Khan, and Rameswar Majhi. The illegal coal extraction was being carried out by villagers at the open pit mine of CCL’s Karma project near Mahuatungri in the Kuju police station area, leading to the unfortunate loss of four lives due to the mine collapse.