Rights body flags illegal coal trade near Assam-Arunachal border
The International Human Rights Council has released a report alleging illegal coal extraction from abandoned mines near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. The report claims a network of illegal trade is being facilitated by former officials and local mafias.
Why it matters
Illegal mining poses severe environmental risks and represents a significant loss of state revenue and regulatory oversight.
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.
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