Shillong, July 13: Meghalaya Police have summoned the owner of a property and a contractor for questioning following the deaths of five workers inside a well at Lapalang in Shillong.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said the workers were suspected to have died from carbon dioxide poisoning and that a case of negligence had been registered. “It was an unfortunate incident in which five people died in a well. They died of carbon dioxide poisoning. A case has been registered under Section 106 for negligence leading to death and Sections 50 and 51 of the Disaster Management Act,” Syiem said.
The property owner, identified as K. Hinge, and the contractor, M. Beena, were summoned by the police and questioned in connection with the incident. “The two persons implicated in the case are the owner of the premises, K. Hinge, and the contractor, M. Beena. They were summoned today under Section 33 of the BNSS, examined and their statements recorded,” the SP said.
Syiem said the investigation was continuing and the police were awaiting technical opinions from departments including Pollution Control and Water Resources before deciding on further action.
Officials from the departments had already inspected the site on Saturday, he added. “We are waiting for opinions from the different departments to ascertain whether there was any negligence on the part of the owner or the contractor. After receiving their reports, we will decide how to proceed with the case,” Syiem said.
No arrests have been made so far, though notices have been issued to both the owner and the contractor, the SP added.
