SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Nov 17: One person died and four others, including a woman, were injured during illegal mining at the Kapasara closed mines under the Mugma Area of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), located about 38 km from the Dhanbad district headquarters.
The deceased has been identified as Manoj Koiri (46), a resident of Ankunbagan village in Asansol, West Bengal. The incident took place on Sunday morning.
Although the tragedy occurred a day earlier, Nirsa police station officer-in-charge Anil Sharma did not confirm the incident on Sunday. On Monday, SDPO Rajat Manik Bakhala stated that he learned about the incident through local media reports and would initiate an investigation.
Also Read- India signs LPG import deal with USA
Police await detailed reports; officials remain unreachable
“The incident is being probed, and I will comment only after receiving a detailed report,” the SDPO said. Attempts to reach Superintendent of Police (Rural) Kapil Choudhary were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to repeated calls.
More than a dozen illegal miners, hired from nearby villages in West Bengal, were extracting coal inside the mine tunnel when the roof suddenly caved in. Manoj Koiri died on the spot. Other miners managed to rescue four severely injured persons trapped under the debris.
Since all of them were residents of West Bengal, the injured were taken to Kulti and Asansol for treatment.
Also Read- CM Nitish Kumar meets Bihar Governor, Assembly dissolution on Nov 19
Family alleges contractor abandoned workers
The deceased’s son, Dulmul Koiri, alleged that the illegal mining contractor operating in Mugma—who had brought labourers from Bengal—did not help in retrieving his father’s body from the collapsed mine.
“We reached the closed mine after receiving information about the incident. But the contractor disowned the labourers and refused to help, fearing police action,” Dulmul said.
