[By Mr. S.B. Laloo, Jowai]
A most distressing and tragic incident resulting in the untimely loss of several innocent lives, reportedly numbering not less than thirty, occurred on the 5th of February, 2026, at Tongsko village under the Sutnga area of East Jaintia Hills District.
In various departments of the government, there are RTI activists who routinely seek information on different matters as required by the applicants. However, since the National Green Tribunal imposed a ban on coal mining on the 17th of April, 2014, no clear information has been available regarding the quantity of coal extracted from our State or the amount of revenue earned by the government from coal.
Yet, the 5th of February this year became a day when dark clouds descended over the State, to the extent that Nature itself turned into a natural RTI. Without anyone filing an RTI regarding coal, Mother Nature blew the trumpet—its sound as thunderous as an exploding bomb—reverberating across the entire world through WION News, one of the international news media outlets. On the 6th of February, 2026, WION reported that rat-hole mining continues to operate on a daily basis in the State of Meghalaya, and that this illegal practice became the major cause behind the tragic loss of precious lives on the 5th of this month.
According to the said news media report, it was stated that up to thirty precious lives were lost due to the explosion of dynamite inside rat-hole coal mines. This death toll may rise further, as reports from coal mine supervisors indicate that several more individuals are still trapped inside the mine shafts, with their survival remaining uncertain.
It is here that it becomes clearly evident that coal mine owners boldly continue to extract and produce coal under the belief that they are fully shielded by the protection of higher authorities. However, when such incidents occur, it becomes apparent that this sense of security is nothing but false protection and misplaced confidence.
Under the law, the CBI cannot be deployed to any State without the consent of the respective State Government. However, in this moment, it is Mother Nature herself who cries out in anguish, pleading for the CBI to intervene and protect her from the violence inflicted upon her through relentless environmental destruction. If, in times such as these, the Central Government chooses to remain a silent spectator and take no decisive action, one can only fear how many more precious lives will be lost in the years to come.
Has the entire State Government truly washed its hands clean by claiming that rat-hole mining no longer exists since the ban imposed by the NGT? On one hand, they occasionally admit that such activities still exist and claim that action has been initiated against those involved. This is nothing but an open lie, when coal continues to be transported daily along the national highways. One is left to wonder whether the coal carried by trucks falls from the sky each day, since, according to official claims, rat-hole mining no longer exists in the State.
We thank the Government for the ex gratia assistance of up to â‚ą3 lakh sanctioned for the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic incident. While such support may offer some immediate relief, the deep wound and grief carried by the families will remain with them until their last breath.
In response to this incident, the State Government has come forward with the following statements:
Through the Hon’ble Chief Minister, the Government expressed its condolences to the bereaved families and conveyed deep sorrow over the incident.
The State Government issued strong directives to identify those responsible for this act and to punish them in accordance with the law.
The Government announced ex gratia assistance of â‚ą3 lakh to the families of the victims and also deployed teams from the SDRF and NDRF to carry out rescue operations and recover the bodies still trapped inside the coal mines.
The Hon’ble Chief Minister stated that illegal mining is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated, especially when the State is moving towards the implementation of scientific mining.
As citizens, we raise the following questions:
Is the mere expression of condolences by the Government enough?
Is identifying and punishing lawbreakers after the tragedy enough?
Is deploying disaster response teams from the State and Central Governments to recover bodies enough?
Is financial compensation to the bereaved families enough?
If the Government truly intends to stand by its words and is genuinely committed to putting a complete and permanent end to rat-hole mining, it must take decisive action. The Government should immediately call for a CBI probe to conduct a thorough investigation into how such a tragedy was allowed to occur. A similar incident had already taken place at the same location on 23rd December 2025, where many were injured and two lives were lost—without even accounting for other tragic incidents that have repeatedly occurred at different locations over the years.
The tears shed by the Government over this incident will amount to nothing more than crocodile tears if it does not dare to order a CBI investigation without delay. What is the use of merely pruning the branches while leaving the roots untouched, when it is the roots that cause the branches to rot and the fruits to decay?
Let this be remembered clearly: those who are complicit under the shield of false protection will inevitably fall into the hands of the law.
As matters stand today, even the Central Government has taken this incident seriously, and an inquiry may well be entrusted to the CBI or other investigative agencies to uncover the root cause of why rat-hole mining continues unabated despite the ban imposed by the NGT— and even after the State Government has claimed to move towards scientific mining.
We, the people, demand that the roots be uprooted, not merely the branches. Oh… branches, would you be content to be cut alone, when you yourselves know better than anyone what truly lies beneath?
