SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, July 23: Around half a dozen individuals are feared trapped following an alleged illegal mining incident in the closed underground mines of the Block-2 project of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) near the Jamunia River under Baghmara block, about 45 km from the district headquarters. The incident is said to have occurred on Tuesday evening.
According to unofficial sources, the incident took place around 7 p.m. when several hired labourers, reportedly working for an illegal mining syndicate, were extracting coal in a sealed-off section of the mine. Suddenly, the support pillars of the underground mine collapsed, trapping six illegal miners. Others reportedly managed to escape the cave-in.
Victims Believed to Be Outsiders, No Rescue Attempt Made
It is suspected that all those trapped are from outside the district. As a result, no immediate rescue efforts were initiated. Four of the alleged victims have reportedly been identified by villagers.
The son of village Mukhia, Md Irshad, claimed that Charku Ansari, Khan Saheb, Dilip Saw, and Md Jamshed are among those feared trapped. They allegedly belong to Taratand village of Giridih district. However, there has been no official confirmation of their identities or the incident.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prabhat Kumar dismissed the reports, calling them rumours. He stated that after receiving the information, he dispatched three officers to the site, but they found no evidence of illegal mining activity.
BCCL, Police Officials Deny Any Incident
Rajiv Ranjan, the regional Nodal Security Officer of the Block-2 Project of BCCL, also denied knowledge of any such incident. “There is no information of any incident in the closed underground mines of the Block-2 project,” he told media persons.
Media coverage of the event has been hampered. Local journalists who rushed to the site were reportedly stopped by alleged members of the illegal mining syndicate, preventing them from approaching the spot, which lies in a remote area.
Locals and Activists Question Official Claims
Social activist and former chairman of the Bokaro Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA), Bijay Jha, questioned the official version.
“The incident definitely occurred—otherwise, why would goons of the illegal mining syndicate stop media persons from visiting the site at night?” he asked. While he did not confirm how many people were trapped, he insisted that illegal mining activity could not be ruled out.
Local residents claimed that syndicates involved in illegal mining regularly bring in workers from districts such as Giridih and Jamtara. The workers are transported to the closed mine areas by vehicle at night and sent back early in the morning after overnight mining operations.
