CID Files Charge Sheet in Umrangso Coal Mine Tragedy, 12 Accused Named

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) has filed a charge sheet regarding the Umrangso coal mine incident, sources said on Friday. 

Reportedly, the charge sheet was filed at the Dima Hasao Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court. The charge sheet includes the names of 12 accused individuals. The 12 accused are Punus Nunisa, Abdul Hannan Lashkar, Ranbhadra Hansu, Dildar Hussain, Bipul Purusa, Inam Uddin, Man Bahadur Rai, Santosh Gurung, Bikram Gircha, Laxmanjit Langtha, Nazir Uddin, and Afzal Hussain.

It may be mentioned that the CID submitted the charge sheet 58 days after the tragic incident.

On February 19, the grueling 44-day-long rescue operation at the flooded coal mine in Tin Kilo, Umrangso, came to a close, with the recovery of the remaining four bodies. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Army successfully retrieved the bodies, bringing the total count to nine—the number of miners who were trapped in the illegal rat-hole mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district.

The disaster first came to light on January 6, when reports surfaced that nine miners had become trapped in the illegal mine. From the outset, the rescue mission was hampered by heavy rainfall, fluctuating toxic water levels, and the region’s treacherous terrain. Search teams had to pump out massive amounts of water before accessing the mine shaft, a painstaking process that prolonged the operation.