Top cop: Negligence, lack of safety caused cracker blast

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: A day after the heartrending firecracker godown incident in Anekal in the outkskirts of Bengaluru which has left 14 people dead, most of them students, the Karnataka police arrested three people including the owner of the cracker warehouse and registered an FIR in the case.

Speaking to the press, Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP) Alok Mohan, said the death toll has increased to 14 after rescue personnel found two more bodies on Sunday.

He said seven more injured are being treated at two hospitals in Bengaluru. According to sources, of the 14 dead, at least 12 hail from Tamil Nadu.

They had come for work eight days back and were staying in a room near the firecracker shop-cum-warehouse, Sri Balaji Traders, in Anekal.

The fire was first witnessed at around 3:20 pm on Saturday by nearby shopkeepers and passers-by

35 present when fire broke out

Director General of Police and Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP) Alok Mohan said that local authorities and law enforcement agencies are collaborating to ensure a meticulous investigation.

"There were around 35 people working at the warehouse when the fire broke out. There is currently no evidence to suggest that there were child labourers employed at the firecracker shop," he said.

The police chief said safety measures were not put in place which resulted in more damages.

Sources said that since the bodies were heavily charred, it was a herculean task to identify them.

Meanwhile, three unidentified bodies have been kept at Oxford Medical College Hospital, Attibele. Teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Madiwala, are expected to carry out DNA tests on these bodies to match with samples from their relatives, to identify them.

Cause of fire, Eye-witnesses account:

Like every year, firecracker shops along Hosur Road have begun securing stocks in huge volumes by hiring people, especially youngsters from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, who are willing to work for wages around Rs 500 a day.

This particular warehouse, Sri Balaji Traders, was no exception. There were several people working as distributors and salesmen for the shop. According to a few eyewitnesses, a truck containing firecrackers arrived at Balaji Traders at around 3 pm on Saturday.

The owner of the shop ordered the workers to unload the goods and store them inside the warehouse. Around 10 people started unloading boxes containing various types of firecrackers. As the second batch of workers were removing boxes, a sudden spark followed by a fire was witnessed.

Several people at the entrance of the warehouse ran out but people who were inside were trapped as the fire quickly spread igniting the crackers leaving them no time to escape.

Police investigation: Though the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, based on prima facie evidence, fire and emergency personnel suggested that a hightension wire may have come in contact with firecracker boxes while unloading which may have led to the blaze.

The fire personnel also noted that there was a narrow exit to the warehouse which made it impossible for the people inside to run out of the structure.

The emergency services rushed nine fire tenders to the spot including several water tankers and the fire came under control after more than five hours of the operation. A fire officer said that the last body was recovered around 1:30 am on Sunday.

Deputy Commisisioner, Bengaluru Urban, KA Dayananda said that Sri Balaji Traders had obtained permission for a shop to sell firecrackers and they were illegally storing crackers at the warehouse.

"The owner has violated the licence conditions and stored more than 1,000 kg of firecrackers. The licencing authority has not permitted anyone to store crackers," he said.

Based on the complaint filed by one of the workers who escaped, the Attibele Police filed an FIR under various sections of the IPC against Sri Balaji Traders’ owner Ramaswamy Reddy, his son Naveen Reddy, who is also injured and is being treated at the hospital, manager Lokesh, building owner Jayamma and her son Anil Reddy.

The police said that the owners have been booked under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 285 and 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of Indian Penal Code, apart from under various sections of The Explosive Substances Act, 1908.