Meghalaya Police has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the illegal coal mine explosion at Thangsku in East Jaintia Hills, which has claimed 32 lives so far.
The move comes amid growing concern over the continued operation of illegal mines despite a long-standing ban. The death toll rose after an injured worker, who had been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Guwahati, succumbed to his injuries days after the February 5 blast.
Director General of Police Idashisha Nongrang, in an official order, said the SIT was being constituted with immediate effect to ensure a fair and time-bound investigation into the incident. The nine-member team will be headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police (Eastern Range) Vivekanand S Rathore.
The SIT has been tasked with examining the cause of the explosion, looking into the circumstances leading up to it and identifying any violations of court directives and orders of the National Green Tribunal related to illegal mining.
The order stated that the team must carry out a thorough probe and complete the investigation within a stipulated timeframe so that those responsible are brought to justice.
Search and rescue operations at the site were officially called off on February 9 after teams assessed that there was no further possibility of finding survivors trapped inside the mine.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has also announced that a judicial inquiry commission will be set up to examine the circumstances of the blast and fix accountability.
The tragedy has once again put the spotlight on the 2014 ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal on rat-hole mining and coal transportation in Meghalaya, citing serious environmental damage and safety hazards faced by miners.
The state government informed the Meghalaya High Court that strict action would be taken against those running the illegal operation. So far, four people have been arrested, and authorities have seized several thousand metric tonnes of illegally mined coal while stepping up raids in coal-producing areas and dismantling labour camps.
Investigators are now focusing on how such an operation continued nearly a decade after the ban and who may have allowed it to function unchecked.