Five workers were buried alive and 34 others injured as a two-storey firecracker factory building collapsed in a powerful blast at Singhewala village in Punjab’s Muktsar district on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, police said, adding the factory owner has been arrested.
Muktsar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abhijeet Kaplish said seriously injured persons were admitted to AIIMS, Bathinda, while others were being treated at the Civil Hospital under the Punjab government’s Farishtey scheme.
“The firecracker unit was operating without permission required under the Explosives Rules, 2008. As of now, our top priority is treatment and taking care of the injured persons. A detailed inquiry is underway, and strictest action will be taken against those found guilty,” the DC said.
The owner had reportedly submitted a request before the DC’s office for necessary approval, but the file was yet to be processed.
Lambi Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jaspal Singh said the explosion took place between 12 midnight and 1 am. “We responded swiftly and recovered five bodies from the debris. The rescue operation was over by the afternoon,” the DSP told The Indian Express.
“At least 34 people were injured and admitted to various hospitals, including the Civil Hospital in Badal and AIIMS, Bathinda. As per reports, all are stable,” the DSP said.
According to reports, 28 patients were still undergoing treatment at various hospitals, while six were sent home after first aid.
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Muktsar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Akhil Chaudhary said, “The preliminary investigation finds manufacturing and packaging of firecrackers were being carried out on the same premises. Moreover, several workers were living on the factory premises. A few workers were doing packaging work while others were sleeping when the blast took place, and the building collapsed.” “It seems the blast was caused by material used in the manufacturing of firecrackers, though the exact cause can be ascertained after investigations and forensic examinations. Our forensic team is investigating the spot to determine what triggered the blast,” the SSP said.
After the preliminary investigation, Muktsar police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against factory owner Tarsem Singh and his son Navraj Singh.
The factory owner was arrested, police said. Police said the accused were booked under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 118(2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt using dangerous means) and 3(5) (group liability in crimes committed with shared intent) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), section 98 of the Explosives Act, 1884, which empowers the central government to prohibit dangerous explosive activities, and section 92 of the Factories Act, 1948, which deals with penalties for violation of safety and regulatory norms.
The father-son duo was running the factory, while papers submitted at the DC office, seeking a licence, were in the name of Navraj, police sources said.
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Police said that they were trying to establish the identity of the deceased persons. Coworkers who can help identify the deceased are hospitalised, so it may take some time, they said.
The contractor, who would bring workers from Uttar Pradesh, was yet to arrive, which also delayed the identification process, police said.
Meanwhile, Punjab Cabinet Minister and Lambi MLA Gurmeet Singh Khuddian visited the injured persons at AIIMS, Bathinda. He inquired about their condition and assured them the Punjab government would bear the entire cost of their treatment.
Khuddian also visited the blast site in Singhewala village. The minister announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased persons on behalf of the Punjab government, a government statement said.
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The minister said, “The government stands with the affected families and will leave no stone unturned to ensure justice for them. Those liable will not be spared under any circumstances. Strictest legal action will be taken against them.”
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also met injured workers at AIIMS, termed the incident “a failure of governance.”
Alleging that the illegal factory was running under political patronage, Sukhbir said, “There were no fire safety measures at the factory where even minor children were employed. I met a few of them. Shockingly, the contractor disappeared after the blast, and the factory owner was of no help to the trapped workers.”
Demanding strict action against the accused, Badal said, “If the government fails to act firmly, the SAD will launch an agitation at the site.”
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Badal said such tragedies must not repeat in the future. “We demand immediate compensation for the deceased persons’ families and a high-level inquiry into how such a dangerous operation continued unchecked,” the SAD chief said.
He urged the state government to ensure accountability and stricter enforcement of industrial safety norms across Punjab
