Retired HC judge to head judicial probe into blast at Meghalaya's illegal coal mine
Shillong (PTI): Retired high court judge, Justice RS Chauhan, was appointed the head of the three-member judicial panel that will probe the February 5 blast at an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district, in which 31 people were killed, according to a notification.
The panel has been tasked with fixing accountability and examining possible constitutional exemptions to central mining laws, said the notification dated February 14.
Retired IPS officer H Nongpluh and former IAS officer PS Dkhar are the other members of the panel, set up under the Commission of Inquiry Act 1952, it said.
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Justice Chauhan was the chief justice of the Uttarakhand High Court and the Telangana High Court.
The commission will conduct a comprehensive fact-finding exercise into the explosion at the illegal mine in the remote Thangsku area of Mynsngat village, according to the notification.
"The Commission may submit its report embodying the findings and its recommendations thereon to the State Government within a period of 6 (six) months from the date of the notification," it said.
The commission has been mandated to identify acts or omissions by authorities and examine whether lapses contributed to the disaster.
Beyond fixing responsibility, the panel will examine the root causes of illegal coal mining in Meghalaya and review the working conditions of labourers dependent on the industry, the notification said.
It will also recommend remedial measures, administrative reforms and financial rehabilitation schemes for those affected by the National Green Tribunal's 2014 ban on coal mining.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had on February 9 announced the judicial inquiry into the blast.
Meanwhile, the government transferred East Jaintia Hills SP Vikash Kumar and posted him as the head of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force, according to another notification.
ANTF chief PK Rasgania will be the new SP of East Jaintia Hills.
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Lebanon PM accuses Israel of ‘war crime’ after rescue workers killed in strikes
Beirut: Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Tuesday accused Israel of committing a “war crime” after five people, including three civil defence personnel, were killed in twin air strikes in southern Lebanon.
According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, the strikes targeted a building in the town of Majdal Zoun, where rescue workers had arrived following an initial attack. A second strike hit the same location, killing those involved in relief operations.
Salam said targeting emergency responders carrying out humanitarian duties amounted to a serious violation of international humanitarian law. He added that the government would raise the matter at international forums and seek action to halt such incidents.
A spokesperson for the Lebanese Civil Defence was quoted by AL Jazeera that the rescuers were trapped under debris after the second strike and later confirmed dead.
The Lebanese army said two of its personnel were also injured in the attack, which reportedly struck a military patrol escorting the rescue team along with civilian equipment.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun also condemned the incident, stating that it was part of a pattern of attacks affecting relief workers and civilians.
Despite a US-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, cross-border hostilities have continued, with frequent air strikes reported in southern and eastern parts of the country.
Lebanese authorities said at least eight people were killed in separate incidents on Tuesday, while the overall toll from Israeli strikes since early March has crossed 2,500, with thousands injured.
