Chamundi Explosives Dir, factory manager arrested, released on bail
   Date :15-Jun-2024

Chamundi Explosives  
 
 
 
 
Special Correspondent
 
 
 
HINGNA Police, on Thursday night, arrested Jay Shivshankar Khemka, Director of Chamundi Explosives Pvt Ltd, and Sagar Deshmukh, Factory Manager, Dhamna (Turagondi) plant of the company, for causing death of six workers in the blast due to negligence, causing grievous hurt by the act endangering the life and personal safety of others and negligent conduct with respect to explosive substances. Both were later released on bail, on Friday. Facing charges under Sections 304(A), 338 and 286 of the IPC, accused company Director Jay Khemka and factory manager Sagar Deshmukh were produced before a magisterial court in Hingna on Friday. Seeking a five-day remand for custodial interrogation of the accused duo, the prosecution told the court that the police wanted to investigate as to how the blast occurred and why safety measures were not taken. Citing different judgements, defence counsel Adv Shyam Dewani argued that all the sections applied by the police against his clients in the case were bailable. It was purely an accident, he added. After hearing both sides, the court released Khemka and Deshmukh on cash surety of Rs 50,000 each.
 
Khemka and Deshmukh were taken into custody by the police after six workers -- Pranjali Kisan Modre (22), Prachi Shrikant Falke (20), Vaishali Anandrao Kshirsagar (20), all residents of Dhamna; Monali Shankarrao Aloney (27), a resident of Neri, Sheetal Ashish Chatap (30) and Pannalal Bandewar (50), both residents of Satnawri –were charred to death in the blast at the plant of Chamundi Explosives Pvt Ltd at village Dhamna (Turagondi) in Hingna area on Amravati Road Thursday afternoon. Two others --Shraddha Vanraj Patil (22) and Pramod Chaware (25) -- were seriously injured in the explosion that shook the entire nation. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, along with Lok Sabha member from Ramtek Shyamkumar Barve, former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, MLA Sameer Meghe along with Commissioner of Police Dr Ravinder Singal, Joint Commissioner of Police Aswati Dorje, Additional Commissioner of Police (South Region) Shivajirao Rathod, and Deputy Commissioner Police (Zone-I) Anurag Jain visited the plant where the blast occurred.
 
Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar, Congress MLA Sunil Kedar, and other political leaders also inspected the spot where the blast occurred. Gadkari assured proper treatment to the injured workers at All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Later, Gadkari discussed the incident with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and announced financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of the victims who lost their lives in the mishap. The management of Chamundi Explosives Pvt Ltd also disbursed cheques of Rs 25 lakh each to the bereaved families as compensation. Gadkari asked CP Dr Singal to direct his officers to conduct an impartial probe into the incident and initiate appropriate action against those found guilty so as to prevent such tragedies in future. Meanwhile, preliminary police investigation revealed that the explosion took place when the workers were packing the micro-chords used in fire crackers.
 
Though experts from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) would conduct an inquiry into the incident, the company allegedly had taken no safety measures for workers. PESO would carry out an investigation into the incident to check whether required safety and security measures were taken or not by the company management. Some political leaders alleged that PESO did not carry out periodic inspection of the factory and security audit of the premises. However, an officer of the Chamundi Explosives Pvt Ltd, on the condition of anonymity, told ‘The Hitavada’ that the company was running the business by strictly adhering to the Explosives Rules 2008 for manufacture, authorisation, storage, packaging and transport of explosives.
 
One more worker succumbs to injuries
DEATH toll in the blast at the factory of Chamundi Explosives Pvt Ltd at Dhamna (Turagondi) has risen to seven with one more worker succumbing to his burn injuries during treatment at Dande Hospital, Ravi Nagar Square on Friday night. The deceased, Dansa Maraskolhe (26) was a native of Madhya Pradesh. Dansa, who suffered more than 90 per cent burns in the blast on Thursday afternoon, was rushed to Dande Hospital. Dr Pinak Dande, Director of Dande Hospital, confirmed that Dansa succumbed to his burn injuries during treatment around 8.15 pm on Friday. Dansa’s body would be sent to Government Medical College & Hospital for post-mortem.