MP firecracker factory blast: NSA invoked against manager, 4 accused booked for culpable homicide
An explosion at a fireworks factory in Tonk Kalan district on Thursday caused a fire that killed five workers and injured 23 people. Anil Malviya, the licensed owner of the factory, was arrested under stringent provisions of the National Security Act (NSA).
Dewas Collector Rituraj Singh on Friday approached the NSA against factory manager Ajaas Khan, whose provisions made it difficult for him to get bail, and the district magistrate ordered both Khan and Malviya to be kept in Ujjain Central Jail for three months under the stringent Act, an official said.
Malviya said a case on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Explosives Act has been registered against Khan, another factory manager Mahesh and contractor Bhupendra alias Chhotu.
According to the first information report (FIR), the fireworks were produced and stored at the factory where more than the permissible quantity of explosives were stored and there were also no proper safety arrangements for workers at the facility.
Meanwhile, the district administration has formed a three-member committee, comprising officials from the power, industry and safety departments, as well as the state pollution control board, to investigate the explosion at the factory.
The central government’s Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) and its forensic laboratory are also investigating the incident, officials said. Three of the 23 patients injured in the fire were admitted to the government-run Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH) in Indore in critical condition.
MYH chief Dr Ashok Yadav said, “All three have 80 to 90 per cent burn injuries. Specialist doctors are constantly monitoring their condition.” he said.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had earlier expressed his sorrow over the incident and announced that Rs 4 lakh per person would be provided to the relatives of the deceased and the injured would be treated free of charge.
