Seven migrant labourers killed at Tavarekere stone quarry near Bengaluru

Seven migrant labourers died at a stone quarry near Tavarekere on the outskirts of Bengaluru, following severe safety violations and a collapse of regulatory oversight. The victims, who had travelled from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka’s Yadgir district in search of a livelihood, were killed while working under highly hazardous conditions.

According to rescue personnel and fire officials, the labourers were treated like "slaves" at the site. They were reportedly assigned to work in zones that had already been flagged as dangerous after earlier blasting operations. Additionally, the workers lived in makeshift shelters situated directly beside the stone crushing units.

At the time of the incident, the labourers were forced to work beneath unstable rock faces without basic protective equipment, including helmets and harnesses. The tragedy has highlighted severe lapses by the Department of Mines and Geology and the Labour Department, both of which are responsible for enforcing workplace safety and labour welfare.

Local residents had reportedly raised repeated complaints about the quarry’s operations and safety record before the incident occurred. Local MLA S T Somashekar also stated that he had raised the matter in the Assembly and before the Petitions Committee on multiple occasions, but no corrective action followed.

The government is currently verifying whether the deceased workers were registered under applicable labour laws and if they were covered by mandatory accident insurance.

This incident is part of a broader pattern of safety failures in the region's quarrying sector. In December last year, a lorry driver lost his life after his tipper plunged into a gorge inside an illegal stone quarry in Mandya district. Following the Tavarekere tragedy, the government has ordered statewide safety audits and temporarily suspended quarry operations. However, local advocates emphasize that lasting safety requires continuous monitoring and the prosecution of negligent officials alongside errant quarry owners.