5 dead, 28 injured in cracker factory blast in Muktsar; one held

Five persons died and 28 were injured, including some minors and women, in a blast at an illegal firecracker factory at Fatuhiwala village in the Lambi Assembly constituency of Muktsar district in the wee hours on Friday. The blast was so powerful that the two-storey factory, located in a secluded area near the Punjab-Haryana border, partially collapsed, trapping nearly 40 migrant workers under the debris. It was reportedly heard within a 10-km radius. An injured worker recounted, “Some of us were sleeping after our shift had ended when the blast occurred. Many of us were trapped under the debris. The blast might have been triggered by a spark during a dust storm. We were told that the factory had all necessary permissions when it started operations in November last year.” He further said, “After the incident, the owner came for just a few minutes. He told us that everyone would be sent back to their native places with Rs 500 each and then fled. I only have Rs 20 in my pocket. What am I supposed to do now?” The factory is reportedly owned by AAP activist Tarsem Singh’s family, who belong to the adjoining Singhewala village. Muktsar SSP Akhil Chaudhary said, “Five persons died in the incident while 28 persons were injured. They have been admitted to Civil Hospital at Badal village and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda. I visited the site, but the exact cause of the blast is yet to be determined. One of the three accused has been arrested.” A case under various provisions, including Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita; the Indian Explosives Act; and the Factories Act has been registered against Tarsem Singh, his son Navraj Singh and wife Sukhchain Kaur at the Lambi police station. Tarsem, an AAP activist from Singhewala village, has been arrested. A police team along with volunteers of the Dera Sacha Sauda conducted rescue operations that continued until noon. “The rescue operation was handled by volunteers as the disaster response force was not called in by the administration,” claimed Gurpash Singh Singhewala, senior vice-president of Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan), Muktsar district. He is a resident of the same village. Muktsar Deputy Commissioner Abhijeet Kaplish said, “The factory owner had applied for permission on April 1 under the Explosives Act, but it was still under process and had not been granted. The state government will provide Rs 2 lakh ex gratia compensation to the next of kin of the deceased.” Responding to the allegations regarding the rescue operation, the DC said, “Such charges are common after such incidents, but the police team reached quickly. The SSP was at the site by 7.30 am. Our senior officials were present and also visited the hospitals to check on the injured. All trapped workers were shifted to hospitals by 9 am.” Agriculture Minister-cum-Lambi MLA Gurmeet Singh Khudian visited the AIIMS in Bathinda to enquire about the well-being of the injured. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal visited the injured at Badal village and in Bathinda. He demanded a thorough investigation into the incident and urged the state government to promptly release adequate compensation to the victims’ families.

Punjab