Two brothers among six labourers from Assam’s Cachar killed in Meghalaya coal mine blast

Puranjoy Vaishnav (28) and his younger brother Nikunja Vaishnav (24) of Rajeshwarpur, Katigorah, were among six labourers from Assam’s Cachar district who were killed in an explosion and fire at an unauthorised coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district on February 5. The two brothers were the sole earners of their family, leaving behind aged parents, wives, and children as neighbours and relatives mourn their loss.

The other Cachar victims include Anwar Hussain and Dilwar Hussain of Sarishakuri village, Faruk Ahmed, and Krishna Vaishnav. In addition, five other labourers from Cachar — Saidur Rahman, Ramchandra Vaishnav, Niman Uddin, Krishnadhan Vaishnav, and Bishnudhan Vaishnav were injured and shifted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital, with two in critical condition.

The tragedy has devastated several villages in Cachar, as families mourn the loss of their primary earners. Relatives said the labourers had travelled to Meghalaya in search of work and were compelled to take up hazardous jobs in illegal mines due to limited opportunities in the Barak Valley.

Authorities in East Jaintia Hills have filed a suo motu FIR at Khliehriat Police Station, invoking provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act, and Explosives Substances Act, as part of the probe into the illegal mining operations.