Hassan: A labourer died, and four workers were seriously injured after soil and boulders collapsed on them at a granite quarry in Dhumagere village in Hassan taluk on Thursday. The district administration suspects foul play and cancelled the licence of the unit.

A labourer, Mani, died while he was being shifted to Bengaluru for treatment. However, four others are undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Hassan and are recovering, said deputy commissioner C Sathyabhama. Following the death of Mani, his body was shifted to his native in Kollegala in Chamarajanagar without reporting it, she stated.All the labourers were non-Kannadigas from Chamarajanagar and from Tamil Nadu.

The soil and boulders collapsed while the workers were cutting granite stone in the quarry. The authorities suspect foul play, as the incident was not reported to the higher-ups until late at night. Not even the officials of the mines and geology, revenue department, or the local police took the matter to higher authorities until night, according to the DC, who said the incident took place at noon, but it was reported to her only around 10.50pm.

Soon, she, along with superintendent of police Mohammad Sujeetha, rushed to the spot late in the night.The DC issued a notice to revenue officials and also wrote to the SP to get clarification from her department. "We got information only at night, and I have issued notices to the jurisdictional officials seeking clarification," she said. The experts from the forensic department visited the spot and collected samples on Friday, and the licence of the unit was cancelled, the DC said.However, there were no houses or any other establishments near the quarry, said an officer. A police officer said a probe has been initiated over the incident, and three persons were taken into custody by Shantigrama police.

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