News of the discovery of what were believed to be diamonds in Wanching, a village in the Mon district of Nagaland, spread like wildfire after photos and video clips of villagers digging for the supposed gemstone were turned virals on various social media platforms, prompting the state government to order an investigation to verify the claims.
Videos and photographs showed villagers gathering in large numbers, digging dirt into a mound and displaying small crystalline finds on their palms.
The geology and mining department dispatched a team of four geologists to the site on Friday. “They will investigate and submit the status report as soon as possible,” department director S Manen stated in an order. The team is expected to arrive in town on November 30 or December 1.
When contacted by Mon’s deputy commissioner Thavaseelan K, he said the incident took place earlier this week after some villagers found some crystals while working in the forest and informed others in the village that they presumed they were diamonds.
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The official said it was doubtful that they were diamonds as the stones were found close to the surface. But I was hoping that the stones would bring some kind of benefit to the villagers, even if they were quartz crystals, as quartz has many applications.
On whether authorities expected an influx of curious people into the district, the DC responded positively if the speculation was found to be true. However, he noted that the situation remained unpredictable until experts examined and declared the true value of the stones.
Although the matter has sparked debate among the public, geologists were not convinced that the tiny crystals were real diamonds, as there were no records of diamonds present in the region.
“Those are ordinary quartz crystals. They are very common and are found in different parts of Nagaland, ”said Professor GT Thong from the department of geology at Nagaland University. He believes that the ‘poor villagers’ were misled by some people and expressed his hope that the team of geologists delegated to the village to investigate will officially shed some light on the matter soon.
Meanwhile, the Wanching village council issued a notice prohibiting anyone from posting anything on social media regarding the stones and restricting anyone from other villages or towns from entering the village in search of the stones.
A village elder reported that the village council was dismayed by the dissemination of unverified information, therefore, in apprehending the arrival of many visitors following news of the discovery of the alleged gemstones in the village, it has ordered anyone wishing to visit the village must obtain permission from the council.
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