“The voices were coming from inside. They were alive, crying for help. But the entrance was sealed. They let them die.”
A local resident, requesting anonymity, described the aftermath of the Jamunia mine collapse in Dhanbad’s Baghmara block, where multiple labourers are feared dead in an illegal coal shaft. Days after the incident, state authorities have yet to acknowledge the deaths, fuelling allegations of a deliberate cover-up.
Political leaders visiting the site have accused coal mafia networks and sections of the administration of orchestrating what they call a mass burial. Jamshedpur West MLA Saryu Roy and Giridih MP Chandra Prakash Choudhary, who visited Jamunia together, said the collapse resembled “homicide, not an accident.” Dumri MLA Jayaram Mahato has also claimed that victims’ families were given cash and warned against speaking out.
Roy and Choudhary said the National Disaster Response Force has been at the site since Wednesday but has remained inactive due to the administration’s failure to provide excavation equipment such as hydras and JCBs. They alleged that the collapse site was quickly sealed with coal debris and a thick layer of fresh soil—likely during the night of the incident. The area was reportedly barricaded and guarded by those linked to illegal mining activities, preventing media and civil society access for hours.
“This is not an industrial mishap. This is homicide,” Roy said. “People were trapped and buried alive. Evidence was erased. The administration remained silent.”
Choudhary added that, despite the administration’s denial of any such incident, several families had reported relatives missing. Both leaders submitted a list of presumed victims and asked officials to verify them through household visits. “If the government believes nothing happened, let them face the families,” he said.
Mahato said most of the deceased were migrant workers from Giridih and Deoghar. He claimed that amounts between ₹30 lakh and ₹50 lakh were distributed to victims’ families as hush money. “No one is willing to speak. There is fear,” he said. Mahato plans to raise the matter during the monsoon session of the Assembly.
Roy also criticised Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) for not adhering to mine closure protocols and alleged that illegal mining and extortion operations continued openly. He said private contractors were made to pay ₹1,600 per tonne of coal to avoid disruption. According to Roy, such operations had political backing and were shielded by the local police.
The leaders demanded a joint investigation into the roles of BCCL, the Directorate General of Mines Safety, the local police, and the civil administration. They called for audits of coke plants in the region, verification of coal sourcing records, and the release of internal police intelligence reports related to illegal mining.
While no official confirmation of the incident has been issued, the site remains under watch. Local accounts, political pressure, and the absence of any formal investigation have turned the Jamunia collapse into a flashpoint—raising questions about accountability and impunity in Jharkhand’s coal belt.