RANCHI: An illegal mine near the Jamunia River at Kesargarha under Baghmara Police Station in Dhanbad district collapsed, with at least nine people feared to be buried under the debris. According to local residents, 15 workers were present in the mine when carbonaceous rock gave way with a loud crash. The collapse is believed to have occurred due to weakly supported pillars within the illegal excavation site.
“As many as nine people are feared buried under the debris of the illegal mine, which was being operated by a local mining mafia,” said a local resident on condition of anonymity.
Despite the severity of the incident, there has been no official confirmation. Local police and administrative officials have claimed ignorance. Baghmara Police Station in-charge Ajit Kumar stated that he had not received any information, while Rajiv Ranjan, the nodal security officer of Block-2 area, also expressed unawareness of the situation.
Locals alleged that access to the site is being restricted, with no rescue operations initiated until Wednesday morning. Journalists attempting to reach the location were reportedly stopped from entering the area.
Meanwhile, Jamshedpur West MLA Saryu Rai shared details of the incident on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), alleging that nine workers had died and that mining mafia were disposing of the bodies to avoid detection. Rai named Chunchun Gupta as the alleged operator behind the illegal mining and accused him of working under the protection of influential individuals.
“Nine workers died tonight due to the collapse of an illegal mine at a place called Jamunia in Bagmara, Dhanbad. The illegal mining mafia is busy disposing of the bodies. I have informed the SSP Dhanbad,” Rai posted.
The situation remains tense, with growing concerns over official inaction and alleged attempts to suppress the incident.