When Labour Travels Untracked, Death Follows: Lessons from the Arunachal Tragedy

The tragic road accident in Arunachal Pradesh, which claimed the lives of 21 labourers, is not merely an unfortunate mishap—it is a stark reminder of the deep-rooted systemic failures surrounding migrant labour safety, contractor accountability, and employment insecurity in Assam’s tea garden belts and rural areas.

The incident occurred on the remote Hayuliang–Chaglagam road, where a truck carrying 22 labourers plunged into a deep gorge near Metengliang. The accident reportedly took place between December 8 and December 9, but due to the remoteness of the terrain and lack of communication, information about the tragedy was received only on December 10. By then, precious time had already been lost—time that could have meant rescue, medical attention, or survival.

In the aftermath of the incident, police arrested two contractors, Sirajul Ahmed and Sairuddin Ali, who had taken the labourers to Arunachal Pradesh for work. Their arrest brings temporary reassurance, but the larger question remains unanswered: How many such journeys happen every day on dangerous, unmonitored routes without any official tracking, safety audit, or administrative oversight?

Lives Reduced to a List

The victims of the tragedy were not anonymous numbers; they were fathers, sons, brothers, and breadwinners—mostly residents of Gelapukhuri Tea Estate in Tinsukia district, Assam. Among them was Budheswar Deep, the lone survivor, while the rest lost their lives when the vehicle plunged nearly 800 feet down a hill in Arunachal Pradesh.

The labourers involved were:

Budheswar Deep (Alive), Abhay Bhumij, Ajay Manki, Rohit Manki, Birendra Kumar, Sameer Deep, Karan Kumar, Ram Siva Sona, Arjun Kumar, Deep Guwala, Agar Tanti, Bijay Kumar, Sanjay Kumar, Rajani Nag, Ramesh Tanti @ Sunatan Nag, Pankaj Manki, Dhiren Chatriya, Rahul Kumar Chetriya, Jonash Munda, Ashin Chawra, and driver Mangol Rai of Bihar.

Each name reflects a shared reality—people compelled to leave home in search of survival, not opportunity.

A Rescue Operation That Revealed the Depth of the Tragedy

Speaking to the media, Tinsukia District Commissioner Swapneel Paul stated that all 20 bodies of the deceased labourers were recovered after facing severe challenges during the rescue operation in Arunachal Pradesh. He pointed out that nine of the victims were from Gelapukhuri Tea Estate, while the driver was from Bihar, and confirmed that two arrests have been made, with further interrogation underway.

Paul also noted that adequate arrangements were made for the last rites and assured that the administration would ensure necessary support for all affected families.

Crucially, he stressed that “there is a need to develop an information mechanism to track the movement of people in tea estate areas so that such incidents do not happen in the future.”

This observation underlines the core administrative failure—21 labourers travelled across state borders, through one of the most remote and risky roads, without any official monitoring system in place.

Political Presence, But Policy Gaps Remain

Following directions from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Minister and Guardian Minister of Tinsukia Bimal Borah, accompanied by MLA Sanjoy Kishan, remained present from day one after the tragedy came to light on December 10.

Borah explained that on the first day of the rescue operation, six bodies were recovered, and on Saturday the remaining 14 bodies were retrieved. He highlighted the extreme difficulty of recovering bodies from nearly 800 feet below the hills near the Hayuliang–Chaglagam road, stating that it was impossible to visually track the accident site from above. All post-mortem examinations were conducted in Arunachal Pradesh before arrangements were made for final rites in the presence of family members.

Borah also pointed to the lack of industrial development in the region and emphasized the need to create local employment opportunities so that people are not forced to seek hazardous work outside the state. He specifically mentioned the Plastic Park project at Gelapukhuri as a potential source of secure employment for many labourers.

Ground Reality from the Accident Site

Tinsukia MLA Sanjoy Kishan shared details from the accident site, stating that rescue teams informed them that several bodies were trapped beneath the vehicle, making recovery extremely challenging. He expressed gratitude to the NDRF, the Indian Army, and the Arunachal Pradesh government for their coordinated efforts.

Kishan also highlighted a social reality often overlooked in policy discussions—many residents of Gelapukhuri are engaged in carpentry and masonry work and frequently travel outside Assam to support their families. The tragedy underscores how economic compulsion forces labourers onto dangerous routes with little regard for safety or accountability.

The Core Issue: Unregulated Labour Movement

This tragedy on the Hayuliang–Chaglagam road exposes a dangerous and recurring pattern. Contractors operate freely, labourers move invisibly, and accountability surfaces only after lives are lost.

The arrest of the two contractors is necessary, but it cannot be the end of the matter. It must lead to deeper scrutiny:

• Who authorised the journey on such a perilous route?

• Who ensured vehicle fitness and load safety?

• Who verified labour registration, insurance, or emergency preparedness?

The silence around these questions is as alarming as the accident itself.

A Call for Course Correction

As rightly stated by the district commissioner, “We need to work on the course correction properly now.” That course correction must involve:

• Mandatory registration and tracking of migrant labourers

• Strict regulation and licensing of contractors

• Inter-state coordination on labour safety

• Real-time information mechanisms from tea estate areas

• Accelerated local employment generation to reduce forced migration

Without these reforms, tragedies like the one that occurred between December 8 and 9 will continue to surface—often days later, when it is already too late.

Conclusion

The Arunachal tragedy near Metengliang is a mirror held up to society, governance, and policy failure. Mourning must transform into monitoring, condolences into compliance, and arrests into lasting accountability. The lives lost from Gelapukhuri should not fade into another statistic—they must become the turning point in ensuring that no labourer ever again travels unseen, unprotected, and unheard.

Only then can justice move beyond words.

Also Read: Arunachal Pradesh Tragedy: 17 Bodies Recovered So Far, Rescue Efforts Continue