Dibrugarh: Three coal miners were killed on Sunday night in an illegal rat-hole mine at Ledo in Tinsukia district along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border after allegedly inhaling toxic gas.
Tinsukia Superintendent of Police (SP) Debojit Deuri said police have so far arrested five persons in connection with the incident.
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He added that inhalation of poisonous gas like methane is suspected to have caused the coal miners’ death.
The dead miners have been identified as Sahidul Islam, Hussain Ali of Bongaigaon district and Hasmat Ali of Goalpara district.
“The rat-hole mine was being run illegally on a remote hilltop. The incident took place at around 8.30 pm on Sunday when the miners entered the mine to extract coal. We suspect there was leakage of poisonous gas like methane inside the mine causing their deaths. We have arrested five persons as they were trying to bury the bodies and hush up the incident. We will take stringent action against any such illegal coal mining activities. The post-mortem will be done on the bodies before they are handed over to their respective families,” SP Deuri told Northeast Now.
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A case of murder, criminal conspiracy, theft, causing disappearance of evidence under sections 302, 120B, 201 and 379 of the IPC has been registered and further investigation is underway, he said.
Sources said the illegal rat-hole mine is operated by one David Haseng, a resident of Arunachal Pradesh.
The three miners were brought to Ledo by one Joynal Ali who acted as the supplier of workers.
“Illegal rat-hole mines have been mushrooming in Margherita and Ledo area of Tinsukia district. The coal smugglers in a very organized way are operating the rate-hole mine in collusion with government officials. Despite the blanket ban, rate-hole mines are being operated in some areas of the region,” said a source.
“The coal smugglers are operating the illegal rate-hole mining in Ledo and Margherita area under the patronage of political leaders,” he added.