Dibrugarh: A search operation team under the supervision of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jitmal Doley to find the body of coal miner Pranjal Moran, who has been missing from a coal mine at Ledo since January 12 in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district.
On Monday, Jitmal Doley was accompanied by Margherita police station officer in charge Pratap Gogoi, Ledo outpost in-charge Jyotish Pukan and a large number of SDRF and NDRF force but could not trace Moran.
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According to reports, Pranjal Moran, a resident of Hukoni village of Makum in the Tinsukia district was working at Tirap Colliery as a daily wage worker and went missing on January 12 from the colliery.
After some days it came to light that Pranjal Moran died due to a landslide and his body could not be retrieved.
Sources said Pranjal Moran was procuring coal from a rat-hole mine in Tirap died due to the landslide. But the coal mafia who engaged the worker in procuring coal illegally covered up the incident and instructed workers to hide his body.
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Meanwhile, police arrested two persons, identified as Rupsai Kujur and Sujan Pahariya alias Babu Pahariya, who disposed of the body of Pranjal Moran.
Tinsukia police have so far arrested 13 persons in connection with the incident. All of them were involved in the illegal procuring of coals from the rat-hole mine in Tirap.
Speaking to reports, IGP Jitmal Doley said, “We have started the search operation to retrieve the body of Pranjal Moran by using JCB and taking advice from the experts but till now we have not found anything from that place. The place is narrow and using machines in that particular place is very difficult.”
“We will continue our search operation but due to bad weather, we are facing a problem. We have arrested the persons who revealed to us and showed us the place where Pranjal Moran died after the landslide,” the IGP said.
Sources said that coal mafia B. Ganesh was involved in illegal rat hole mining in the area and under his instruction, the coal thieves allegedly are procuring coal from the places.
“Under political patronage, B. Ganesh has been functioning and every month giving a percentage to the leaders who support him in his illegal business. B. Ganesh is the mastermind behind the illegal rat hole mining in the area. He operates many illegal rat hole mining in the area from his grocery shop. He operates his illegal coal business from the grocery shop situated at Ledo Itakhola,” said a source.
The Pranjal Moran case is not the first instance, earlier many coal miners reportedly missing from the coal mines.
Moran had left home on January 6 to work in a coal mining project at Ledo in Tinsukia.
As per Pranjal’s wife, her husband went missing on February 1. She was informed the very next day by the coal trader that Moran had died in an accident while working inside the mine and that his body could not be recovered.
On February 4, Pranjal’s wife lodged an FIR with Ledo police station. However, she alleged that the police did not take any action.
Recently, Assam DGP GP Singh ordered the DIG (NER) for a proper investigation into the alleged ‘missing’ case of Pranjal Moran, and asked the to arrest the culprits within 7 days.
The DGP’s action came after Pranjal Moran’s wife had met GP Singh briefed him about her husband’s mysterious disappearance and request the Assam Police to recover his husband’s body.