Awaaz Punjab first reported this fire on October 30, when four workers were found dead, two were injured and police had only summoned the factory owner. The arrests, the culpable-homicide FIR and the identification of the dead are new developments since that report. Read the original report
Delhi Police have arrested two men in connection with the fire at a shoe factory in Phase 1 of the Mangolpuri Industrial Area that killed four workers and injured two others on the night of October 30. The arrested men were identified as Suresh Chand, 47, and Ashok, 47, and were described in reporting as members of the factory's management. They were taken into custody for questioning as investigators examine responsibility for the conditions at the unit; the arrests are an early step in the investigation and no court has determined liability.
Source: Hindustan Times via News4Exchange
Police have registered a first information report at Raj Park police station under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which covers culpable homicide not amounting to murder, along with provisions on negligent conduct. Police said more people connected with the unit are being sought, and contractors and workers are being questioned about how many labourers were inside when the fire broke out.
Source: Hindustan Times via Inshorts
Dead identified, injured in intensive care
The four workers who died have now been identified as Ashok, 25, who was from Nalanda district in Bihar, Harihar, 40, Lal Babu, 38, and Prem Chand, 50. The two injured workers, Vikas and Harinder, are being treated in the intensive care unit of Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital. Relatives told reporters about the workers' final phone calls home before they died of asphyxiation, and families have demanded accountability and support for those left behind.
The fire began at about 9.30 pm on October 30 in the basement of the footwear manufacturing and storage unit and heavy smoke spread through the multi-storey building. Six workers were found unconscious — one on the third-floor staircase and five on the fourth floor — and taken to hospital, where four were declared dead. Fire officer ADO Paras Kumar said the blaze was confined to the basement; later official accounts put the response at up to 31 fire tenders, and the fire was brought under control by about 6 am on Saturday. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Vikram Singh said the cause of the fire is still not known.
Source: The CSR Journal
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta expressed condolences to the families and directed officials to ensure proper treatment for the injured and assistance to the affected families. Police say the investigation into the cause of the fire, the factory's safety arrangements and the roles of those who ran the unit is continuing.