The Gauhati High Court has directed the Assam government to prosecute those responsible for the Umrangso rat-hole mine tragedy under charges of murder, holding that the deaths of nine miners in April this year cannot be treated as mere negligence. The accident occurred at 3 Kilo in Umrangso, Dima Hasao district, when nine workers lost their lives in an abandoned coal mine that was being operated illegally. Despite a ban imposed on rat-hole mining, such activities continue to flourish in the region. Hearing a suo motu Public Interest Litigation, Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar observed that the continued practice of illegal rat-hole mining pointed to a grave dereliction of duty by the authorities concerned. While the Dima Hasao administration has filed its response, the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council has yet to submit its affidavit, drawing censure from the court.