Ahmedabad firecracker blast: Three partners arrested after nine workers die
Three partners who were allegedly running an illegal firecracker unit in Ahmedabad's Ramol area have been arrested after a blast and fire at the facility
Three partners who were allegedly running an illegal firecracker unit in Ahmedabad's Ramol area have been arrested after a blast and fire at the facility killed nine people and injured six others, Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut said on Sunday. Police said the unit had been ordered to shut after its licence expired in March and was not renewed. However, the accused allegedly restarted operations around 20 days ago and brought labourers from Dahod while police personnel were busy with security arrangements for the recent Rath Yatra. Police are also examining the role of the landowner who leased the property and the financiers behind the operation. Read Full Story The blast took place on Saturday afternoon at a temporary tin shed in a field behind the Rapid Action Force camp in the Ramol police station area, where firecrackers were being made illegally, Gahlaut said.
The RAF alerted the authorities, after which police, fire brigade personnel and 108 ambulance services reached the spot. A total of 15 people were affected, including the nine who died and six who are being treated at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. The arrested accused have been identified as Ramilaben Dodiya, her son Mehul Dodiya and their business partner Sadiq Saiyed. Replying to a question, Gahlaut said Mehul and Ramilaben were present at the factory when the blast took place. Mehul suffered minor injuries, while Ramilaben's eardrums ruptured. Mehul allegedly fled after the explosion and sent another person back to take his injured mother to hospital. He was later arrested in the Sabarmati area in the afternoon, while Ramilaben and Saiyed were held soon after the incident. Most of the dead labourers were from Sanjeli taluka in Dahod district, while others were from Kapadvanj, Umreth and Ramol, the commissioner said.
"Police completed the postmortem examination and handed over the bodies to their families after transporting them to their native places under police escort," he said. Gahlaut said the unit was being run in partnership by Mehul Dodiya, Ramilaben Dodiya and Sadiq Saiyed. An FIR has been registered against them under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 105 for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and Section 287 for negligent or rash conduct with fire or combustible materials, besides provisions of the Explosive Substances Act. He said Ramilaben had run a similar firecracker unit at the same location in 2014, when a fire had claimed one life. She was arrested in that case and the licences were later cancelled. A fresh licence was obtained in Mehul Dodiya's name in 2020, but it expired on March 4 this year and was not renewed.
The BriefWire