Thousands of coal mine workers have returned home following the Assam Police's crackdown on illegal rat-hole mining in the Margherita-Ledo region.
Sources confirm that hundreds of unemployed workers arrived in Guwahati early Thursday morning by train, marking a mass return to their hometowns.
The workers arrived at the Guwahati Railway Station at around 5:10 am by the Tinsukia-Ledo Intercity Express, leading to a chaotic situation at the railway station.
Reports indicate that nearly 3,000 workers from districts such as Goalpara, Dhubri, Nagaon, Morigaon, and Hailakandi boarded intercity trains heading to Guwahati in search of alternatives.
The closure of illegal rat-hole mining operations in Margherita, Ledo, and Lekhapani comes in the wake of the Umrangso incident, which has intensified scrutiny of illegal mining activities. Earlier, Assam DGP G.P. Singh confirmed that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had directed the closure of all rat-hole coal mines in the state within seven days.