KUMAR PRABHAT
DUMKA
Two months after a devastating tractor accident inside an MGNREGA irrigation well claimed the life of young driver Tinku Yadav alias Tinku Baidh in Gowari village, his aging parents remain trapped in an agonizing wait for police action and accountability. Despite repeated appeals submitted to top administrative and police leadership—including the Dumka Superintendent of Police, the DIG of Santhal Pargana Range, and the Deputy Commissioner—no formal investigation or criminal case has been registered, leaving the victim’s family in severe distress.
The tragedy unfolded during soil removal operations at the under-construction irrigation well under Jama block. The tractor Tinku was operating plunged nearly 15 feet into the deep pit, leaving him critically injured before he succumbed during treatment. Four labourers who were working inside the well at the time narrowly escaped death. While hospital police initially recorded a preliminary statement following the driver’s death, the victim’s father, Shanti Yadav alias Shanti Baidh, alleged that law enforcement agencies have failed to take any meaningful steps to investigate the site management or preserve crucial case evidence.
Adding to the family’s concerns, the accident-hit tractor was allegedly removed from the site under questionable circumstances before proper forensic documentation could be completed. The elderly parents report making continuous rounds of district administrative offices, only to be met with empty assurances while the project’s official records remain unexamined. Seeking immediate intervention, the grieving family has demanded that a high-level inquiry be assigned to a senior police officer to investigate the negligence surrounding the MGNREGA site, fix responsibility on the managing officials, and deliver swift justice according to the law.
