12th September, Friday: A stone mine collapsed in Nalhati, which led to the deaths of 6 people. On Friday afternoon, this heinous incident happened in Nalhati Block No. 1’s Bahadurpur stone mining industrial area. Six people were killed and three others grievously injured when a portion of a stone quarry collapsed in Bahadurpur village in Birbhum district on Saturday, police said. According to reports, the quarry workers were crushed by huge rocks while mining at the crusher site in the afternoon.
The Birbhum District Administration is claiming that the mine was running illegally, and that is where questions are raised. State opposition leader Subhendu Adhikari pointed his finger at the State administration and asked for an NIA investigation. District Magistrate Tapan Ray said that the investigation has already started.
After the heinous incident, the injured people were taken to the Rampurhat Medical College, where the hospital authority declared six dead, and many of them are still struggling with death. Police identified the dead bodies and said that the 6 were the residents of Nalhati block. Two of them, Lalbabu Sekh (24) and Hajarat Ali (24) were residents of Baganpara. Samiul Sekh (24) was from Mahula village, and Abir Sekh, who was the brother-in-law of Samiul, lost his life in just 28 years age and two others were Rathu Mondal (30), and Kajal Let (30) were from Singhdahari and Kandasi village, respectively.
Birbhum police super gave assurance about the investigations, saying that the police will look into every aspect regarding the incident. “As of now, it is too early to comment on the cause of the collapse. Our senior officers are present at the spot and looking into the matter. They will ascertain whether the mine operated illegally,” a senior police officer of the district said.
Eyewitnesses claimed that around 1.30 pm, the workers were drilling the surface, and then suddenly, the mine started to collapse. 10-12 persons were trapped in the debris. A section of villagers said the collapse may have been caused by heavy rain in the region over the last month, leading to several mines getting waterlogged and rendering the soil in the area soft.
The lives of the workers are always in danger due to the numerous other illegal mines that are still in operation in the area. Given the serious hazards shown by the recent collapse, the administration must now take quick action, engage in full thorough inspections, and enforce tight measures to avoid future tragedies of this nature.
