Shillong, Feb 10: The sudden closure of rescue and recovery operations for the missing miners in Myngsngat-Thangsko, East Jaintia Hills, has surprised many.
The East Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner, Manish Kumar, quoted a verbal opinion to call off the operations.
Sources said that the matter was not made known to the High Court, the court-appointed committee headed by former Judge BP Katakey or the police chief of the district.
The incident took place on February 5, and the closing of the operations was announced on February 9.
The deputy commissioner depended only on the verbal opinion of the rescue teams to close the operations.
“Having been satisfied with the efforts made by the search and rescue teams of the NDRF, SDRF, SRT and the local miners and their verbal opinion of no more dead bodies left, the operation was finally called off at 5:00 P.M. on 9th February, 2026”, the DC said in his letter to the Chief Secretary on February 9.
Sources added that the East Jaintia Hills district administration may come under the scanner for depending only on verbal opinion that there are no more bodies in the mines.
The high court will hear the matter on February 19.
Picture: Myngsngat-Thangsko (MM)
