The Meghalaya Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the deaths of two workers at an illegal coal mining site in Thangsko village in East Jaintia Hills district and has asked the police to submit a detailed inquiry report.
Acting on media reports about a suspected dynamite explosion at the mine on December 23, 2025, the commission issued a notice to the district superintendent of police. MHRC secretary L. Ch Marak said the commission decided to step in on its own after the incident was reported in local newspapers.
The blast killed two people and injured several others. One of the victims, believed to be a Bangladeshi national, died on the day of the explosion. The second victim, identified as Ashok Tamang, succumbed to his injuries on January 1 while undergoing treatment in the surgical ward of Shillong Civil Hospital.
The matter has drawn attention to allegations that the coal mine was operating illegally, with reports suggesting that multiple owners were employing labourers from Bangladesh.
There are also concerns that some injured survivors, suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals, may have been sent back across the border before a proper investigation could be carried out. The commission has fixed a deadline for the police to complete the probe and submit their findings.