A magisterial inquiry to investigate the May 30 mining accident in Umpleng, East Jaintia Hills has been instituted but what is its use if the family members of the trapped or dead mine labourers are not given permission to enter the State.
The magisterial inquiry has called on all persons who have something to share about the mine mishap and persons connected to it to depose before it before June 8.
It is learnt that the family of Anowurul Islam Barbhuiya of Katogorah, Cachar District, Assam, had sought permission from East Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner (DC), Ethelbert Kharmalki to come to the district to get details about their family member.
All the persons reportedly working in the mine were from Assam. Sources said that they had written to the DC but he allegedly refused to give them the permission even today.
Meghalaya’s reputation as a law-abiding State has once again taken a beating with this latest mine mishap which exposed the continuing illegal mining of coal in banned rat-hole mines.
But, the fact that family members are allegedly being officially blocked from entering the State to find out information about their loved ones involved in the mine disaster is a serious violation of human rights.
Reportedly, the East Jaintia Hills district administration has quoted Covid-19 protocols as the reason for this.
But this seems to be a convenient excuse to delay the flow of Information about illegal coal mining to ensure that no names of “high-level” persons slips out in the course of conversations.
Legal experts pointed out that if the DC or the State government cannot make arrangements for the family members of the dead mine workers to come and meet them or depose before the magisterial inquiry, it will be a grave injustice.
A press statement from the district administration had said that five persons were inside the mine when it got flooded, whereas reports from other sources claimed the figure is much higher.
