Rights body flags illegal coal trade near Assam-Arunachal border

A panoramic of a open coal mine in Ledo area, Tinsukia district of Upper Assam. | Photo Credit: Ritu Raj Konwar A local unit of the International Human Rights Council (IHRC) said coal is being illegally extracted and collected from abandoned Coal India Limited mines near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border, and transported through an allegedly “entry system”.The Tinsukia District Committee of the IHRC outlined such activities in its investigative report into the alleged coal trade released on Thursday (July 16, 2026).The report revealed years of illegal operations in the Itakhola area of Ledo under the Margherita Subdivision.L. Ratan Singh, the general secretary of IHRC’s Tinsukia committee, said the committee found a large number of coal-laden vehicles — from vans and pickups to trucks and dumpers — pass daily through the Itakhola area after bringing coal from the officially abandoned mines.The committee said that an alleged coal mafioso has been running this illegal business with the assistance of a former Coal India Limited official. “The coal supplied through this network is being used to operate five brick kilns, as well as coke kilns,” it said.The committee further claimed that the alleged entry system — an accounting method for financial transaction — is controlled from a roadside dhaba, which collects the entry fees from the vehicles.Role questionedQuestioning the role of the district authorities, police, North Eastern Coalfields (a subsidiary of Coal India Limited), Forest, and Railway officials, the committee said it would submit a comprehensive report on the illegal coal trade to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Published - July 17, 2026 09:47 am IST