Worker found dead under suspicious circumstances in Patansaongi underground coal mine

The death of a 36-year-old worker, Jagdish Asutkar, in suspicious circumstances in the underground coal mine at Patansaongi has raised serious questions about safety in the coal mines of Nagpur district.

It was initially feared that he had been caught in a conveyor belt, but it has emerged that his body bore no clear marks of injuries caused by getting caught in a belt. His body was found about 200 metres inside the mine. The oxygen level at the spot is also said to be normal.

Asutkar had been working in the mine for three years. A resident of Charurkhati village in Warora tehsil of Chandrapur district, he lived with his wife and two daughters in the residential colony on the mine premises. The family has suddenly lost its means of livelihood. News of his death has caused a stir in the area.

Questions are being asked about whether safety rules were being followed inside the mine, whether the worker had been given adequate safety equipment, and whether the mine management was carrying out regular safety checks.

After the death, the family's anger also came out. They refused for some time to take the body to the hospital and demanded that the cause of death be made clear. After they were persuaded, the body was sent to Nagpur for post-mortem.

Assistant Police Inspector Datta Kangule of Saoner police station inspected the spot and drew up a panchnama. Police are now awaiting the post-mortem report.