Meghalaya coal mine blast: Retired HC judge to head probe
A retired High Court judge, Justice RS Chauhan, will head a three-member commission investigating the recent dynamite blast at an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills.
The February 5 tragedy, reported to have killed between 30 and 32 workers, has put a spotlight back on unsafe mining practices in the region.
Commission has 6 months to probe illegal mining
Despite a ban since 2014, risky rat-hole mining is still happening, often with little oversight or safety for workers.
The new commission has six months to dig into what went wrong, who's responsible for the lapses, and why illegal mining continues despite clear rules against it.
Who's on the panel
Alongside Justice Chauhan (who previously served as Chief Justice in Uttarakhand and Telangana), the panel includes retired IPS officer H Nongpluh and former IAS officer PS Dkhar.
Their job: get answers and recommend real changes for worker safety.
Police chief transferred after incident
The district police chief, East Jaintia Hills SP Vikash Kumar, was transferred; a Feb 15 report said he was posted as head of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force.