MP firecracker unit blast | CM assures stern action; Harda collector, SP transferred

Harda/Bhopal, Feb 8 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has asserted that his government will take stern action against those responsible for the tragedy at a firecrackers factory in Harda where a blast and subsequent blaze two days ago killed 11 people.

The district collector and the superintendent of police (SP) have been transferred.

A local court in Harda has sent two persons arrested in connection with the incident, one of them owner of the factory, to jail under judicial custody.

Another owner of the facility has been sent to police remand by the court.

"The state government will take solid measures to prevent similar incidents and ensure culprits responsible for the tragedy get such exemplary punishment," Yadav told reporters in Harda town on Wednesday after meeting the injured persons.

He met the injured persons undergoing treatment at a hospital in Harda, located around 150 km from state capital Bhopal, and enquired about their condition.

"I met (in Harda) those who were injured in Tuesday's incident. I have already met a majority of victims in Bhopal (where some of the wounded were taken for treatment). But, I personally felt I must visit Harda. I also paid a visit to one or two familes (of the deceased) and offered condolences," Yadav said.

"The government will not only take solid measures, but also take such stern action (against those responsible) that people will remember," the chief minister stated.

The explosion and subsequent blaze at the firecrackers factory in Harda town on Tuesday claimed 11 lives and left more than 200 people injured.

The MP government has constituted a three-member committee headed by Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Dubey to conduct a detailed probe into the incident.

The state government on Wednesday transferred Harda collector Rishi Garg and Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kanchan.

Garg has been made a deputy secretary, while Kanchan has been moved to the state police headquarters in Bhopal as assistant inspector general.

More than 100 people were undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Madhya Pradesh while two persons were missing after the blast, officials said on Wednesday.

Sub-Divisional Officer of Police BS Maurya, who was posted at the district hospital in Harda, on Wednesday morning said he has a list of 217 people, of whom 11 have died.

Among those injured, 73 people were admitted to the district hospital. These included 51 factory workers and 22 people living in the vicinity of the explosion site, he said.

Maurya said 38 injured people were referred to other cities for treatment, while 95 were discharged.

Two persons are reported to be missing, he added.

Divisional Commissioner (Narmadapuram) Pawan Sharma told reporters at the blast site on Wednesday that the first phase of the rescue operation has been completed.

Three persons, two of them owners of the factory, were arrested by the police and booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, among other charges.

The arrested persons were produced before a chief judicial magistrate court which sent two of them --- Rajesh Agrawal (one of the owners) and Rafiq Patel (said to be manager of the factory) -- to jail under judicial custody. Another owner of the unit, Somesh Agrawal, was sent to police remand.

The cause of the explosion was not yet known, officials said.

The opposition Congress claimed the Madhya Pradesh government was not revealing the actual death toll in the tragedy to hide its "crime" and demanded a probe by a Special Investigation Team.

"The actual number of casualties exceeds the official figures. It's a conspiracy by the government to hide the actual number of fatalities. There are several bodies," alleged Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari. PTI