Guwahati: In a major development tied to the deadly mine collapse at 3 Kilo in Assam’s Umrangso, which resulted in the loss of over 20 lives, Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Dima Hasao, S. Chanda has ordered the officer-in-charge of Umrangso Police Station to file a case against Kanika Hojai, wife of Dima Hasao Autonomous Council (DHAC) Chief Executive Member (CEM) Debolal Hojai.
Pitush Langthasa filed a criminal petition, claiming that illegal mining operations directly linked to Kanika Hojai led to this directive.
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The court also directed the Superintendent of Police, Dima Hasao, to inform the Director General of Police (DGP), Assam, of the order.
The DGP had already formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the incident. The court has scheduled the next hearing for April 23 to review the progress of the investigation.
Langthasa, with support from petitioner Kome Kemprai, had initially approached the Umrangso police on January 10 with a formal complaint.
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This complaint included allegations under various laws, including Section 303 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Environment Protection Act (1986), the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (1957), and the Forest Conservation Act (1980).
Langthasa accused Kanika Hojai of involvement in illegal rat-hole mining at the 3 Kilo site and provided documentation, including a transit pass from AMDC, identifying her as a registered coal customer.
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the police only recorded a General Diary (GD) entry without registering an FIR or conducting an investigation.
Langthasa then submitted another complaint to the Dima Hasao Superintendent of Police on January 17, urging for proper action, but he claimed no follow-up occurred.
The CJM court noted that Langthasa’s January 10 complaint revealed new information, significantly differing from an earlier complaint filed by Prasenjit Kemprai, a senior manager at AMDC, on January 7, following the collapse.
While Kemprai’s complaint focused on unregulated coal mining by criminals, Langthasa’s petition exposed a wider conspiracy, alleging that Kanika Hojai benefited from rat-hole mining despite National Green Tribunal and Supreme Court bans.
“The complaint dated January 10 clearly uncovers a larger conspiracy and aims to bring to light facts that were previously unknown but are essential for a fair investigation,” the court remarked.
In response to these findings, the CJM instructed the Umrangso police to register Langthasa’s complaint as an FIR under the relevant legal provisions and conduct a comprehensive investigation.
The court also acknowledged that the Umrangso PS Case No. 2/2025, filed after Kemprai’s January 7 complaint, is already under investigation by the SIT, led by CID DSP Upen Kalita, as directed by the Assam DGP.
However, the court stated that the January 10 complaint requires separate and immediate attention due to its wider implications.