Shillong: East Jaintia Hills Police have taken suo motu cognisance and registered a case following the death of a worker who succumbed to severe burn injuries allegedly sustained in a dynamite explosion in the district late last month.
Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar said the case has been registered under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder in cases of accidental death.
The victim, identified as Ashok Tamang, died on January 1, 2026, while undergoing treatment at Shillong Civil Hospital.
According to the police, the investigation is primarily based on Tamang’s dying declaration, in which he stated that the explosion occurred while he was handling dynamite at his workplace.
He did not, however, refer to coal mining activities or specify the exact location of the incident.
Kumar clarified that Tamang is the only confirmed fatality so far.
“On the basis of the dying declaration, we have registered the case. Our focus now is to establish where he was working and under what circumstances he was in possession of explosives,” the SP said.
Initial inquiries have also raised questions over social media claims linking the incident to Thangsko village.
The village headman and residents have denied any knowledge of the individuals, the speaker or the site shown in a viral video related to the case.
The SP said the Justice (retd) B.P. Katakey Committee, which is monitoring coal-related issues in the state, has sought a detailed report from the police.
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“We will submit all available facts. At this stage, the viral video and Tamang’s death appear to be separate issues and will be examined independently,” he said.
Tamang was first admitted to the Sutnga Community Health Centre on December 23, 2025, with serious burn injuries and was later referred to Shillong Civil Hospital.
Police said they were not informed by the Sutnga health facility and came to know about the case only through the police outpost at the Shillong hospital.
Meanwhile, the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports alleging a dynamite blast at Thangsko village that reportedly resulted in two deaths.
