Director and manager of explosives factory held day after blast kills 6 workers

NAGPUR: Police on Friday arrested the director of an explosives factory along with its manager, a day after a blast at the unit located near Nagpur city killed six workers, an official said.

Jay Khemka (49), director of Chamundi Explosives Pvt Ltd, and factory manager Sagar Deshmukh were arrested and later produced in a local court, he said.

Meanwhile, Union minister Nitin Gadkari visited the blast-affected factory along with officials.

Speaking on the occasion, he said, "The factory management has assured to provide Rs 25 lakh to the families of each deceased, while the state government will give Rs 10 lakh to the kin of each victim."

The factory is located in Dhamna village under Hingna police station limits, around 25 km from Nagpur city.

The blast occurred around 1 pm on Thursday. A total of nine injured persons were admitted to two private hospitals in the city, of whom five women and a man died during treatment, the police earlier said.

Most of the victims were working in the factory's packaging unit when the explosion took place, they said.

According to the Hingna police station officials, a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance), 304 (a) (causing death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by doing any rash or negligent act) was registered against the director and the manager of the factory on Thursday night.

Subsequently, director Khemka, a resident of Ram Nagar in Nagpur, and manager Deshmukh were arrested, they added.

Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, also visited the site. He said guidelines prescribed for such factories should be strictly implemented, and demanded Rs 35 lakh compensation and Rs 20,000 monthly pension for the families of the deceased.