Fifty-six days after a massive fire at a chemical factory in the Bawal industrial area of Rewari district, police have arrested the fire safety officer of GLS Speciality Chemicals Pvt Ltd for alleged negligence.
Four factory workers were burnt to death and several others sustained burn injuries in the blast and subsequent fire at the company’s manufacturing unit on May 19.
Nearly 35 fire tenders were called in from neighbouring districts to douse the fire. A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) conducted rescue and search operations.
Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) had sought a report on the matter from the Rewari DC and SP.
“Acting promptly, police have arrested the main accused in the case — the company’s fire safety officer, Lal Chandra Maurya, a resident of Uttar Pradesh currently residing in Bhakti Nagar, Rewari. The accused was produced before a local court and taken on one-day police remand for interrogation,” a statement issued by the Rewari police said.
In a complaint lodged with police, Vikram Yadav, AGM of GLS Speciality Chemicals, stated that around 11 am on May 19, while approximately 50-60 employees were working on the production floor, a reactor suddenly exploded and triggered a massive fire.
“The fire escalated quickly as ink and resin chemicals were being produced at the factory. Five to six employees and I were seriously injured in the incident. Several minor incidents had occurred on the production floor earlier, and employees had repeatedly informed the company’s owners, HR head, and fire safety officer about them. The unit’s emergency gate is very small, which prevented employees from escaping in time during the panic. There was no emergency ambulance available on the factory premises. Following the accident, injured employees had to be transported to hospitals in private vehicles,” the complainant alleged.
He added that if the company’s management and fire safety officer had not ignored safety standards and rectified these deficiencies in time, the tragedy could have been avoided.
The bodies of two employees, Dharmender and Shakinder, were found buried under the debris, while two others, Haribabu and Pravesh, died during treatment.
A case has been registered at the Bawal police station.