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The Bhanoor police in Sangareddy district, Telangana, have registered an FIR against the management of Sigachi Industries following a deadly explosion that claimed 36 lives at the company’s facility in Pashamylaram. The explosion, which reduced the three-storied building to rubble, occurred on June 29, with rescue operations still underway to recover the bodies of several missing workers.
The FIR was registered on Monday, June 30, based on a complaint filed by Yashwanth Rajanala, the son of one of the deceased workers, 55-year-old Rajanala Venkat Jagan Mohan.
In his complaint, Yashwanth alleged that his father and several other employees had repeatedly raised concerns with the management about the outdated machinery used at the facility. They had warned of a “potential danger to property and men,” but the company turned a deaf ear, the complaint states.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), and 117 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Also Read: Missing relatives, charred bodies: Telangana pharma blast leaves families distraught
The explosion occurred while 143 workers were on duty at the plant. Several injured workers were rushed to Dhruva Hospitals in Patancheru and Pranaam Hospitals in Miyapur for treatment. Police officials confirmed that rescue teams are still searching for the bodies of at least half a dozen workers trapped under the debris.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who visited the accident site on Tuesday, announced Rs 1 crore ex-gratia for the families of the deceased. He described the incident as the worst industrial accident in Telangana so far. He also criticised the absence of the company’s top management at the site. “If you are so preoccupied, why are you running factories?” Industries Minister Sridhar Babu reportedly said, warning that the government would take a serious view of the matter.
Most of the deceased were from Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, officials said.
“The government will take steps to prevent such accidents in the future and ensure that preventive measures are strictly implemented by industries,” the Chief Minister added.