Four workers were killed and another was slightly injured in an explosion at Lady Steel Industrial Unit at Pangram in Udharband constituency of Cachar district at 11.3 am on Sunday. The incident took place at around 10:30 pm local time (10:30 GMT) on Saturday. The incident took place at around 10:30 pm local time (10:30 GMT) on Saturday. Local residents and other factory workers also assisted the administration in recovering the bodies.
Cabinet Minister Kaushik Roy, who rushed to the spot along with Cachar Commissioner Rahul Kumar Gupta and Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Shaikia, said the exact cause of the blast was yet to be ascertained. “NDRF personnel have been directed to conduct a thorough search of the factory premises to rule out the possibility of any worker being trapped on the premises. Our immediate priority was to rescue the injured and secure the site or, it will be determined.
Speaking to The Assam Tribune, Udharband MLA Rajdeep Goyal said three of the four victims were local residents and the fourth was a driver who hailed from Tripura. “The bodies have been sent to Shillong Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. The injured workers are undergoing treatment at Udharband Hospital and are out of danger,” he said.
The Cachar district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. The explosion happened in the factory around 10:30 am. The explosion happened in the factory around 10:30 am. Responding to media queries, Minister Roy said the inquiry would also include claims by local residents that they had complained of small explosions at the factory in the past. “If such an incident occurs and the administration is not informed, that aspect will also be brought under investigation. The investigation will include the factory operations, safety measures of the workers and all aspects related to the accident,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cachar Police has detained the factory director and other employees for questioning. The factory owners have been directed to appear before the investigating officer on Monday. The Assistant Labor Commissioner will conduct a separate inquiry into the working conditions, statutory safety measures and facilities provided to workers. The deceased have been identified as Arun Kumar (19), 20, of Kachar and Arun Kumar (19), 20, of Kachar. A team of forensic experts from Guwahati is expected to visit the spot and collect samples to uncover the exact cause of the blast.
The district administration has also started talks with the factory authorities to ensure additional compensation for the families of the deceased workers. The accident has drawn renewed attention to worker safety in the state’s small and medium enterprises amid ongoing investigations into the exact cause of the accident and safety lapses.
