Bareilly cracker factory blast toll up to 6, main accused held

LUCKNOW The police on Thursday arrested the main accused in the illegal cracker factory blast case in Bareilly’s Sirauli area even as the bodies of two kids, aged three and five, were pulled from the rubble of the unit, taking the death toll to six in the incident. Two other children were missing after the collapse of five adjoining houses due to the explosion, police said.
It was found in the preliminary investigation that Nasir Shah, 42, who had a licence to only sell firecrackers, was operating the illegal cracker factory at the residence of Rehman Shah, his father-in-law, where the incident occurred.
The missing people were also suspected to be dead as body parts of some people were also found in the debris and the death toll was likely to increase further. Three others, including Rahman Shah, his wife Chhoti Begum and their daughter Fatima were seriously injured and undergoing treatment at the district hospital where the condition of Fatima and Rahman was stated to be critical, said officials.
SSP (Bareilly) Anurag Arya confirmed the death of six people identified as Tabassum, 28, and her two children – Hasan Wateen ,5, and Shahzad, 3, Hasnain’s wife Nikhat, 30, prime accused Nasir’s wife Sitara Begum, 38. and one Ruksana, 38, who stayed in a house adjoining Rahman Shah’s house where the blast took place around 4.30pm on Wednesday.
Arya informed that an FIR under appropriate sections of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Explosives Act and Explosive Substances Act was registered against seven people, including Rahman Shah, his son Wahid, daughter Fatima’s husband Nazim and his four brothers including one Nasir, who had been the license holder of the cracker manufacturing unit in the past, Ahmad Miyan, Mohd Miyan and Hasnain Shah.
The SSP said Nasir shifted to Rahman Shah’s house and stored around one quintal gunpowder and other raw material used in cracker manufacturing on the second and third floors of the house, after his licence was cancelled following a fire incident at his house in Sirauli area on September 21.
Rahman Shah’s family stayed on the ground floor and the first floor of the house in Kalyanpur village under Sirauli police station limits while two other floors were used as godowns of illegal cracker manufacturing unit.
The SSP said four teams were constituted for the arrest of seven named accused. Out of seven named accused, Rahman Shah is injured and undergoing treatment.
A senior police official said Rahman Shah’s family was sitting on a sleeping volcano and it erupted due to certain reasons leading to the massive blast causing deaths and injuries.
He informed that the police had found an LPG cylinder from the house debris and survivors said Fatima was making tea on the first floor of the house when the blast occurred.
However, it was yet to be ascertained whether the blast happened due to LPG cylinder leak or some other reason. There was a possibility that the explosion occurred due to gas leak as the tea was prepared on the first floor while the explosive materials were stored on the second and third floors, he added.
Bareilly SSP Anurag Arya said the verification of such illegal cracker manufacturing units operational in the district was launched since September 27 and the COs and chief fire officer (CFO) concerned were made the supervisory officers.
Four cops, including two S-Is – the beat in-charge of Sirauli town and the Halka in-charge of Kalyanpur village as well as two constables from both the places – were placed under suspension while a departmental inquiry was set up against the Sirauli police station in-charge after sending him to reserve police lines.
The SSP said the role of Meerganj CO Gaurav Singh, under whose jurisdiction Sirauli police station comes, and the CFO were under scanner and inquiry had been ordered against both the gazetted officials.