Five people, including the owner of an iron casting unit in Assam’s Cachar district, have been arrested in connection with the explosion that killed four workers earlier this week, police said on Monday.
The owner of the unit, Rakesh Kumar Surana, was arrested in Guwahati on July 27 and later brought to Udharbond Police Station in Cachar for questioning. Police said he has been booked on charges of alleged negligence for failing to ensure adequate safety measures at the factory.
Four other individuals, including the unit’s manager, who had been detained soon after the incident, were formally arrested on Monday as the investigation progressed.
Police said a team of forensic experts will inspect the factory to determine the exact cause of the explosion and gather scientific evidence as part of the ongoing probe.
The blast occurred on Sunday at an iron casting unit located within a shared industrial compound at Pangram under the jurisdiction of Udharbond Police Station. Four workers were killed in the incident, while several others sustained injuries.
According to preliminary findings, investigators suspect that an LPG cylinder leak during casting operations triggered the explosion.
The deceased have been identified as Kiran Munda, Appu Baraik, Shyamal Gour and Sagar Nath, according to the Chief Minister’s Office.
Following the tragedy, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the next of kin of each of the four deceased workers.
