Pune minibus fire: Firm mourns four staffers, pledges full cooperation with police

Pune, Mar 21 (PTI) The Pune company that lost four employees in a minibus fire due to an alleged act of sabotage by a driver said on Friday it is cooperating with police and providing medical support to all injured victims.

According to the police, the driver, Janardan Hambardekar, wanted to take revenge as he had a dispute with some staffers of the company, Vyoma Graphics, and was also upset over a salary cut.

“Investigation has shown that the fire was not an accident but sabotage,” deputy commissioner of police Vishal Gaikwad of Pimpri Chinchwad Police had told PTI Videos earlier.

The employees against whom the driver held a grudge were not among the deceased four, the DCP said.

Company official Nitesh Shah on Friday assured cooperation with the police and care for the victims.

“We are in shock. The investigation is underway and we are cooperating with the police. We are also providing medical support to all the injured persons. They are all like our family members and we are taking care of them,” Shah said.

The incident took place in the Hinjawadi area near Pune city on Wednesday morning as the bus, owned by the company and carrying 14 of its employees to the workplace, caught fire.

“The accused had procured benzene (a highly flammable chemical). He had also kept a piece of cloth, typically used for soaking (industrial) toners to wipe surfaces, in the bus. As the bus neared Hinjawadi, he lit a match and set the cloth on fire,” the DCP had said.

The accused jumped off the moving bus, which then continued about a hundred metres before coming to a halt, the official said. Hambardekar had already suffered burns before he got out, as per the probe.

The driver was undergoing treatment at a hospital and would be arrested later, the police official said.

Four of the employees – Shankar Shinde (63), Rajan Chavan (42), Gurudas Lokare (45) and Subhash Bhosale (44) – died as they were sitting in the rear and could not open the emergency exit door in time. Besides, six passengers sustained burn injuries.

On Friday, victim Subhash Bhosale’s cousin Vinod Bhosale said he is survived by his wife and a child studying in Class XI.

“I visited the company to seek details of his bank account for the insurance. What can I demand? I lost my brother. However, his family members should be taken care of,” said Vinod. PTI