The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have begun search operations at a mining site in Baghmara in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district, where several men are feared trapped after an “illegal coal mine” allegedly collapsed. The incident has sparked a political slugfest in the state, with the Opposition accusing the state’s Hemant Soren government of complicity.
According to officials, a 35-member team of the NDRF, which has been camping in Baghmara since Wednesday, have begun search operations along the Jamunia river, where the roof of a mine allegedly collapsed Tuesday. Officials of the NDRF told The Indian Express that in the two days since the operations began, they had identified three suspected collapse sites, “one of which appeared freshly levelled with soil”.
“We began digging at the most probable location, but the district administration provided a non-functional earth mover. In two days, just 6-7 feet of soil has been removed,” an NDRF official said.
The allegations have snowballed into a row, with the Opposition BJP seeking to corner the government over it. Opposition leaders have been accusing the administration of a coverup, accusing authorities of cutting off access to the area.
Giridih MP Chandraprakash Choudhary, who visited the site, has accused district officials of complicity.
“Illegal coal mining cannot happen without the administration’s knowledge. The incident is being whitewashed. I have given names of five missing workers, whose families are yet to hear from them,” he told The Indian Express.
MLA Saryu Roy claimed the area was blocked and that locals were stopped “half a kilometre away”. “The spot appears freshly filled as if to bury the evidence,” he said.
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Jharkhand’s Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi accused the state government and police administration of “protecting mining mafias” and called for a thorough investigation.
“The mafias have turned the coal belt into death traps, not just illegal mines. Poor labourers are losing their lives prematurely,” Marandi said in a tweet on X on June 23. “The greed for money of JMM-Congress and RJD leaders has ruined so many poor families. The most shameful thing is that now these illegal mining mafias are busy hiding the bodies of the dead and destroying evidence so that their evil deeds do not come to light.”
On his part, Inspector Asit Kumar, Station House Officer of Baghmara police station who is part of the search efforts, claimed “nothing concrete” had been found. “As of now, nothing’s confirmed. From our (district authorities) side, we can only say it is ‘so-called’,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Multi Morcha has called the alleged incident “deeply tragic and heart-wrenching”. It also said that the state government was “fully committed to ensuring accountability and safety in all mining regions” and that instructions had been issued to district administrations “to remain vigilant and proactive to prevent such incidents”.
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“The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha expresses its profound condolences to the families of the deceased and stands firmly with them in this hour of grief. This is a time for solidarity and compassion — not for politics. It is unfortunate that certain political parties are attempting to use this human tragedy to serve their political motives,” a statement from the JMM said.
