The death count has risen to five after two more workers, who were severely injured in an explosion at a firecracker factory in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district on Thursday, died, while 23 others are undergoing treatment, officials said.
Dewas Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Sanjeev Jain told PTI, "Two workers admitted to a private hospital in Dewas succumbed during treatment. This brings the total number of deaths to five." Officials said Anil Malviya, the licensed owner of the firecracker factory operating in the Tonk Kalan area has been arrested under the stringent provisions of the National Security Act (NSA).
According to officials, Malviya's firecracker license has been suspended.
Three workers who were injured in the fire have been admitted to the Government Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital in Indore.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav visited the hospital to enquire about the well-being of the victims.
He told reporters, "We have taken action against the owner of the firecracker factory under the National Security Act (NSA). We are conducting a detailed investigation into the incident, and further action will be taken based on the investigation report." The chief minister said, "The state government will not spare anyone guilty in this case. This incident serves as a lesson, and we hope it will not be repeated." Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Dewda said that along with the factory owner's arrest, a magisterial inquiry has also been ordered.
Home Department Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Shukla said that officials from the central government's Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO), the State Pollution Control Board, and the Forensic Science Laboratory are investigating the explosion at the firecracker factory.
District Magistrate Rituraj Singh said that two licenses for manufacturing and selling firecrackers were issued to factory owner Malviya.
He said, "These licenses were first issued on December 23 last year. They were renewed on May 6 this year." According to Singh, the factory had begun manufacturing small firecrackers only 15 days ago.
Meanwhile, state Congress president Jitu Patwari arrived at the scene and criticised the state government over the incident. Patwari said, "This incident shows that the gunpowder mafia, which imports raw materials from China, has established its dominance in the state." He alleged that the owner of the firecracker factory enjoys the patronage of leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Patwari claimed that firecrackers manufactured at the factory were being illegally stored in agricultural produce warehouses and that more than 40 minor boys were working at the factory. He demanded the immediate suspension of the district magistrate for his alleged failure to prevent irregularities at the factory.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
