Chargesheet names factory owner, 6 others

POLICE SAID THAT THE ACCUSED HAD HATCHED A CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY TO MANUFACTURE FIRE CRACKERS BY ADOPTING ILLEGAL MEANS

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Wednesday filed a charge sheet in a city court regarding the massive fire that broke out in a factory at Bawana on January 20 this year, killing 17 people .

The chargesheet has been filed against factory owner Manoj Jain, co-owner Lalit Goyal and five other accused.

In its charge sheet, police said that the accused had hatched a criminal conspiracy to manufacture fire crackers by adopting illegal means.

The police has named 84 witnesses and provided call detail records of all the accused.

The police, while referring to the statement of some witnesses — including the labourers who worked in the factory — alleged that Manoj and Goyal manufactured small “holi gulal fire crackers” with explosive materials without following safety norms.

The witnesses said that there was only one entry and exit gate in the factory and there was no fire-fighting equipment in the factory.

One of the injured persons, Roop Prakash, told police that on the day of the incident, about 50 workers were working in the factory. By 5pm, many of them had left but some workers stayed back to work r overtime. Around 6pm, Prakash said he heard the sound of crackers bursting and soon the whole factory was covered in fire and thick smoke. He heard cries for help from the trapped labourers.

He then ran to the roof of the factory and jumped from there to save his life, fracturing his right leg in the process.