Kaushambi, Sep 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a major action following the deadly firecracker factory blast in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi, seven police personnel, including the then Inspector-in-Charge of Pipri Police Station, have been suspended for alleged gross negligence, officials said on Tuesday.
Eleven people were killed, and five others suffered serious injuries after a massive explosion ripped through an illegal firecracker manufacturing and storage facility in Chilla Shahbazi village, under the Pipri police station area, at around 11:30 a.m. on Monday.
A case has been registered against six accused at Pipri police station in connection with the incident. Police said the main accused, Naushad, was arrested following an encounter on the Terah Mile-Syed Sarawan road in the Charwa police station area at around 4 a.m. on Tuesday.
According to police, a special informant provided information that Naushad, the alleged main accused in the firecracker factory explosion, was attempting to flee the city following the incident. Acting on the information, a police team launched a search operation and laid a siege in the area to prevent his escape.
CO Shivank Singh said that after the explosion, four teams were constituted on the instructions of the Superintendent of Police with the specific objective of apprehending the main accused. The teams were continuously conducting raids at possible hideouts and tracking leads regarding his whereabouts.
Based on reliable information received during the operation, police surrounded Naushad. Singh said that after finding himself surrounded, the accused opened fire at the police team with the intention of killing the personnel. The police retaliated in self-defence, during which Naushad was shot in the leg.
Police also recovered an illegal pistol from Naushad. Investigators are now trying to determine where he had taken shelter after the explosion and identify the people who allegedly assisted him in escaping from the area. Police teams are conducting further raids to apprehend the other accused named in the case.
According to a press note issued by the Inspector General of Police, Prayagraj Range, the investigation into the factory revealed that the permit for operating the firecracker manufacturing and storage facility had been issued until March 31, 2026. However, the permit was suspended on April 4, 2024, after irregularities were found during the proceedings.
Despite the suspension of the permit, the accused allegedly continued manufacturing and storing firecrackers illegally at the premises, putting the lives of workers and residents in the surrounding area at risk.
Police said the then station in-charge had registered a case at Pipri police station in connection with the matter on October 9, 2024. Following the registration of the case, action was taken against the accused, and he was also sent to jail.
However, according to police, after being released from jail, the accused resumed the illegal manufacture and storage of firecrackers. Despite the fact that the factory's permit had already been suspended and a criminal case had previously been registered against the accused for illegal operations, the police personnel concerned allegedly failed to take effective action when the illegal activities resumed at the site.
The authorities have taken serious note of the alleged lapses by the police personnel and initiated disciplinary action. Taking the negligence seriously, the Inspector General of Police, Prayagraj Range, suspended seven Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors posted at Pipri Police Station and Chayal Outpost.
The suspended personnel include Inspector Shivcharan Ram, Sub-Inspector Vikas Singh, Sub-Inspector Vinay Singh, Sub-Inspector Ajit Kumar Singh, Sub-Inspector Abhishek Gupta, Sub-Inspector Manish Pal and Sub-Inspector Amit Dwivedi.
Inspector Shivcharan Ram is currently posted as Inspector-in-Charge of the Cyber Police Station in Kaushambi. He had earlier served as the Inspector-in-Charge of Pipri Police Station during the period under scrutiny.
Sub-Inspector Vikas Singh had previously served as the Station House Officer of Pipri Police Station. Sub-Inspector Vinay Singh is currently posted as the Station House Officer of Charwa Police Station in Kaushambi and had earlier served as the Station House Officer of Chayal Outpost under Pipri Police Station.
Similarly, Sub-Inspector Ajit Kumar Singh is currently posted in charge of the Sandipan Ghat outpost and had previously served at the Chail outpost. Sub-Inspector Abhishek Gupta is currently in-charge of the Sirathu outpost, while Sub-Inspector Manish Pal is serving as the outpost in-charge in the Bindki police station area. Sub-Inspector Amit Dwivedi is currently posted at Police Lines in Kaushambi.
An investigation into the blast is currently underway, and further details are awaited.
Source: IANS
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