2 workers die in blaze at factory in Ghaziabad, kin seek owner's arrest

The family members of two workers, who were charred to death in a blaze at a factory unit in Tronica City industrial area two days ago, staged a sit-in with the bodies at Sabhapur checkpost here on Saturday demanding the arrest of the factory unit owner.

The enraged family kept the bodies of both Sunder Pal (35) and Akash Kumar (19) in a stationary mini-truck on the roadside of Ram Park Colony main gate and staged a protest demanding the owner's arrest.

On Thursday night, a fire had broken out due to a short circuit at the vehicle filter manufacturing unit that caused a blast in the boiler.

The resin chemical drums, which are used as adhesive to manufacture the vehicle filters also caught fire and spread on the floor.

Sunder Pal and Akash Kumar could not escape as their feet got stuck on the floor and got charred to death, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Neeraj Kumar Jadaun said.

The burnt body of Sunder Pal was recovered by fire-fighters later that night while Akash's charred body was recovered from the smouldering debris the following morning, the SP said.

Ramvir, brother-in-law of Sunder Pal, told PTI that police have not yet arrested factory unit owner Love Ahuja and the factory supervisor for their negligence in the incident.

We will not cremate them if the factory owner and supervisor are not arrested for their negligence due to which Sunder Pal and Akash who were living with their families in Ram Park Colony were killed. Till Ahuja does not talk to us, we will not perform their last rites, Ramvir asserted.

Our protest will continue till our demand of a 50-metre housing plot and Rs 20 lakh each for their families is not provided, he added.

However, police assured them of taking legal action against Ahuja following which the bodies were taken for cremation.

An FIR has been registered under IPC section 304A (causing death by negligence) against the factory owner and the unit supervisor, Jadaun said.

An inquiry has been set up by the Loni sub-divisional magistrate to ascertain the cause of the fire and to probe the negligence of the owner for not installing fire extinguishers at the place, the SP said.

Also, the probe would ascertain whether the factory was constructed against with approval from Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDC), which has several industrial parks and factories under its purview.

The report would be submitted to the district magistrate within three days, Jadaun added.