Explosion at UP factory: FIR against firm owner, operator

An FIR has been registered against the factory owner and the operator after at least 12 workers died and 21 were injured in an explosion there, police said on Sunday.

The explosion had taken place at Ruhi Industries in the Dhaulana area on Saturday.

Inspector-General of Police Praveen Kumar said that the factory had the license to manufacture only electronic goods and an investigation is underway to ascertain how explosives reached there.

Police said they suspect that crackers were being manufactured in the factory.

According to Superintendent of Police Deepak Baker, the factory owner Dilshad and operator Wasim have been booked under IPC Sections 286 (negligent conduct concerning explosive substance), 287 (negligent conduct concerning machinery), 304 (culpable homicide), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 337 (act endangering human lives) and 338 (causing grievous hurt).

Three teams have been constituted to arrest the accused. The victims’ bodies have been sent for post-mortem, the SP said.

District Magistrate Medha Roopam said an investigation is underway. ”Factories in the area are being checked, and soon, the reality of the incident will come to the fore and strict action will be taken against the accused,” she said.

At the time of the incident, there were around 30 people at the factory in UPSIDC Industrial Area in Dholana, around 80 km from the national capital, officials said.

The impact of the explosion was so intense that the roofs of some of the factories located in the vicinity were damaged. It took three hours for fire tenders to douse the blaze.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had expressed grief over the loss of lives.