Guwahati: The police in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district are now going beyond just the labourers. They are hunting down the financiers and owners of illegal rat-hole coal mines. This follows heavy criticism of Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma's government for allegedly supporting illegal mining. The Meghalaya High Court ordered "immediate, effective, and stringent action" after a February 5 dynamite blast killed 27 miners in an illegal mine. East Jaintia Hills District Magistrate Manish Kumar used Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to ban gatherings of five or more people near illegal mining spots in Thangsko. This order admits a failure in local intelligence. It cites evidence of ongoing illegal coal mining seen on social media and from local complaints. Magistrates are tasked with "identifying" the mine owners and financiers, who are believed to have strong political ties. The district administration worries local groups may try to obstruct police, destroy evidence, or dismantle mining camps. Magistrates are empowered to seize vehicles, tools, and equipment used in illegal mining and to open cases under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act. Since February 6, five teams including magistrates, police, and Directorate of Mineral Resources officials have seized 6,904 metric tonnes of coal near the blast site. They also confiscated tools and mining equipment. Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar said seizing 63 detonators from people from Assam and Tripura shows a "well-established supply chain" behind the illegal mining. Police are removing all labour camps and ordering people to leave the area. "There will be no scope for illegal mining anymore," Kumar said. Rescue operations continue to find survivors or recover bodies. Nine miners injured in the blast remain in serious condition in a Shillong hospital, about 115 km from the site.