KHLIEHRIAT: The East Jaintia Hills Police have registered a suo motu case concerning a dynamite explosion that was reported at Thangsko Mynsngat village, an area alleged to be an illegal coal mining site. The incident reportedly resulted in the death of one labourer and left others injured.
The Superintendent of Police (SP) of East Jaintia Hills, Vikash Kumar, informed that the official report regarding the incident is expected by Friday. He clarified that while there is an urgency to complete the investigation, the police must strictly adhere to legal procedures to ensure the inquiry is thorough and accurate.
The case has been registered under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the SP, the deceased labourer has been identified as Ashok Tamang, who passed away at Civil Hospital, Shillong. He noted that since Ashok had been hospitalised for over a week, doctors were able to conduct a detailed examination and provide a definitive cause of death. The SP also mentioned that the relatives of the deceased had requested that a post-mortem not be conducted before they took custody of the body.
The reported dynamite blast occurred on December 23, 2025. Ashok sustained severe injuries in the explosion and was initially taken to the Sutnga Community Health Centre (CHC) before being referred to Shillong Civil Hospital.
The SP revealed that the police did not receive any initial information about the incident from the Sutnga CHC; they were only notified on January 1st by the Police Booth located at Civil Hospital, Shillong. During the preliminary investigation, the Medical Officer at Sutnga CHC stated that the injured person was brought from the Umpleng area in Sutnga.
Notably, a committee appointed by the Meghalaya High Court, headed by Justice (Retd) B.P. Katakey, has sought a detailed report from the Police Headquarters by Friday. This follows allegations suggesting that two people may have died in the explosion.
Despite the allegations, SP Kumar has currently dismissed claims that the incident is directly linked to illegal coal or stone mining. He stated that in a statement made by Ashok before his death, the victim claimed the accident happened while he was holding a dynamite stick at his workplace, though he did not specify the exact location or the nature of the work he was performing.
