Four mine officials held for UP quarry collapse in which 7 labourers were killed

Except for Anil Kumar, who is a resident of Jharkhand, the others belong to Sonbhadra.

“The four were working as mine managers and mine mates, the roles that legally required them to report all mining operations and safety conditions to the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS). They were responsible for maintaining the mine in proper condition and regularly submitting reports to the DGMS, certifying whether mining operations were being carried out in compliance with safety norms,” a police officer said, adding that the private firm, which was awarded the mining contract, had appointed these four persons specifically to oversee workers’ safety at the site in compliance with statutory DGMS requirements.

All four have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The SIT in its probe found that excessive drilling beyond permissible limits had severely weakened the structure of the quarry, leading to the sudden collapse of a massive rock formation.

“The mines manager and mines mates were found, prima facie, to have shown gross negligence. They ignored mandatory safety protocols and failed to discharge their duties. On the basis of the evidence gathered, all four were taken into custody from the site, arrested, and legal proceedings have been initiated against them,” a police officer told The Indian Express.

During interrogation, the SIT said, the accused admitted that workers were neither given safety instructions nor were mandatory precautions followed during drilling operations.

“They also admitted to not informing the Director of Mine Safety about the irregularities in drilling practices and the handling of explosives at the quarry,” the officer said.

Sources said that the labourers at the open-pit mine told investigators that, despite their unwillingness to enter the mine due to unsafe conditions, they were compelled to work by the mine owner and contractors.

Following the collapse of a section of the quarry, an FIR was registered on a complaint filed by Chhotu Yadav, whose two brothers — Indrajeet (31) and Santosh (29) — were among those killed in the mining collapse.