Dibrugarh, May 2: A high-pressure gas leak from Oil India Limited’s (OIL) Well No. 309 in Nagajan village sent shockwaves through Assam’s Dibrugarh district on Thursday afternoon, triggering panic among residents and reigniting fears of another Baghjan-like disaster.

The incident occurred around 4:30 pm in the Lankasi-Kothalguri area, as a loud hissing noise filled the air and plumes of gas shot into the sky. For many villagers, the deafening sound and sudden chaos brought back haunting memories of the 2020 Baghjan blowout—a catastrophic event still etched in the collective memory of Upper Assam.

After nearly eight tense hours, OIL’s emergency disaster response team managed to bring the situation under control by 1 am Friday. The leak, traced to a mechanical failure in the casing valve of the shut-in gas well, was contained before any ignition or explosion could occur.

“There was high-pressure gas shooting out, and the risk was extremely high,” said a senior OIL official. “Our teams worked through the night under strict safety protocols to ‘kill’ the well and replace the faulty valve. Thankfully, there were no casualties or property damage.”

OIL, in an official statement released on Friday, confirmed that the leak stemmed from a mechanical error and emphasised that the well had been safely subdued. “OIL remains committed to the highest safety standards,” the company asserted.

But for local residents, the fear lingers.

“We heard a loud noise and saw gas rising—it felt like Baghjan all over again,” said a villager, recalling the horror of the 2020 blowout in Tinsukia district, where Well No. 5 erupted uncontrollably and caught fire days later. That disaster claimed three lives, displaced over 1,600 families, and inflicted serious damage on the sensitive Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Maguri-Motapung wetland. It took nearly six months to extinguish the inferno.

While Thursday’s incident was swiftly handled, it has rekindled public anxiety over oilfield safety in Assam. Environmentalists and local residents are demanding more robust safeguards and transparent accountability from OIL to prevent another potential catastrophe.

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