Toll rises to seven in sugar factory boiler accident in Belagavi

Toll in Wednesday’s fire accident at Inamdar Sugars in Marakumbi village of Belagavi district has risen to seven, with four workers dying in hospital on Thursday.

Manjunath Kajagar of Aravalli, Bharatesh Sarawadi of Godachinmalki, Manjunath Terdal of Athani, Gurupadappa Tammannavar of Maraguddi village, who suffered serious injuries in the boiler accident, are the deceased.

Akshay Topad, Deepak Munnoli and Sudarshan Banoshi died of burns caused by spilling of concentrated hot sugar liquid during repairs to a blocked valve.

Raghavendra Mallappa is serious and is being treated in the ICU at the KLE PK Hospital in Belagavi.

Superintendent of Police K. Ramarajan told reporters in Belagavi on Thursday that prima facie, it seemed like an act of negligence on the part of the workers and senior officers.

The workers and technicians climbed four floors above the ground to carry out repairs to the blocked valve.

“Based on a complaint by the relatives of the victims, we have booked three officers, heading the departments of engineering, technical maintenance and processing in the sugar factory. As per the complaint, they failed to take safety precautions before allowing the workers and technicians to carry out repairs,” he said.

“We have registered an FIR under BNS provisions relating to rash and negligent act, negligence with respect to machinery and causing death by negligence. Further investigation is on. We will revise the FIR and include the names of those who are found responsible for the accident,” he said.

“We created a green corridor from the factory to the hospital and shifted all the eight injured persons. Three were declared brought dead on Wednesday and the others died on Thursday. We have registered a case based on the complaint. However, if investigation reveals the ultimate responsibility of the management, we will charge them under relevant sections,” he said.

He said that it is not yet officially clear as to who owns the factory or who can be held vicariously responsible.

Mr. Ramarajan said that he will write a letter to Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan seeking directions to the regulatory department concerned to ensure that all factories follow the Standard Operating Procedure regarding security, to see that such incidents do not recur.

Meanwhile, some relatives of the deceased gathered in front of the factory and expressed shock and grief.

Some of them have refused to receive the bodies till compensation is paid. Local police and Tahsildar are talking to them to complete the last rites and follow up on the issue of compensation.