Toll reaches 5, owners booked, four cracker godowns sealed
CM AMARINDER ORDERS PROBE INTO INCIDENT, ANNOUNCES ₹1LAKH COMPENSATION EACH TO THE FAMILIES OF THE VICTIM
SANGRUR : The death toll in the cracker go down fire at SularGh arat village in Dirba sub-division of Sangrur reached five with another body, unidentified as of now, recovered from the rubble on Wednesday. The Dir ba police have also booked owners of the godown Pardeep Kumar and Gandhi Ram on Wednesday for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Four other godowns that the owners run in the same area were also sealed on Wednesday. A forensic laboratory team is also collecting samples. No arrests have been made yet.
Chief minister Captain AmarinderSingh ordered the investigation into the incident, and announced Rs 1 lakh each as compensation to families of those killed. Four bodies, all of residents of Dhanduri Kalan village, had been recovered on Tuesday night. “We have recovered another body, the rescue opera- tion is on,” said Dirba DSP Yogesh Kumar. The dead are Gurpayar Singh, 25, Karamjit Singh, 18, Bhupinder Singh, 21, and Gursewak Singh, 19. Avtar Singh from Tranji Khera village is critical and has been admitted at Rajindera Hospital in Patiala.
GOVTPANELVISITS
A committee led by ADC (general) Upkal Singh, SDM Sunam and DSP Dirba visited the spot and sealed the other godowns nearby. Deputy commissioner APS Virk said the matter was being investigated from all aspects.
“They had received a licence from the Centre and we cannot issue licenses for such big god owns. It had been sealed once by the Centre. We have sealed four godowns of the same owners,” Virk told HT.
Dirba MLA Harpal Singh Cheema also visited the spot and blamed officials.
Owners were booked under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), and other charges as per the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Explosives Act and Explosive Substances Act.
HOUSEDAMAGED
The blaze damaged the bungalow of Karamjit Singh, who received serious injuries along with his wife and two children. Singh, his wife G ur meetKa ur, sonGu rwinder Singh ,10, and Ar ash deep Singh, 13, have been admitted to the Sangrur civil hospital.
“It took 10 years to build this house and the explosion has damaged the building. The family was at home and rushed to the streets. We are ruined,” said Charanjit Ka ur, Karamji tS ingh’ s sister-in– law told HT.