Yashashvi Rasayan blast: FIR registered against seven company employees

Nine days after the major blast rocked the Special Economic Zone(SEZ) in Bharuch’s Dahej killing 10 people and injuring over 70, the Bharuch Marine police have registered first information report (FIR) against Yashashvi Rasayan Private Limited at the SEZ-2 in Dahej industrial area under various Indian Penal Code(IPC) sections for the grave human negligence in the transfer of the chemicals in the storage tanks causing series of blasts.

The case was registered under IPC Sections 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 337 (causing grievous hurt by act of endangering human life by rashness or negligence), 338 (causing grevious hurt by act of endangering human life or personal safety) and 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder)

The accused have been identified as Atal Bihari Kumar Mandal and Mahesh Jivan Galchar—contractual worker of Yashashvi Rasayan, Bharat Bhushan alias Bharat Agarwal, production in-charge, Dharam Thummar, unit head, Mitesh Patel, liquid storage farm area head, Alok Panda, incharge of DMS and Yunus Khiliwala, fire and safety head.

According to the FIR, the major blasts in the liquid chemical storage tanks occurred due to the serious human negligence during the transfer of the dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and Nitric Acid (HNO₃) into the storage tanks from the tankers, which resulted in the serious chemical reaction and series of blasts in the storage tanks.

Investigations revealed that about 25 tonnes of DMS was transferred into the HNO₃ tank and that about 18 tonnes of HNO₃ chemical was transferred into the DMS tank during the unloading of the chemical liquid into the storage tanks on June 2.

On June 2, two tankers loaded with DMS and HNO₃ had arrived in the company’s liquid storage farm area for unloading the chemical into the storage tanks. Atal Bihari Mandal and Mahesh Galchar, who are contractual employees, connected the tankers with the storage tanks with the hosepipe and disappeared from the scene.

When the unloading of the chemical was about to be completed, Mahesh Galchar checked the hosepipe connections of both the tankers and found that they were interchanged with the DMS and HNO₃ storage tanks. However, Galchar disconnected the unloading and informed his higher officials including the plant head and DMS head regarding the goof-up said Rajendrasinh Chudasama, superintendent of police, Bharuch.

“Despite of knowing about the dangerous chemical reaction due to the wrong transfer of the chemicals in the storage tanks, the officials did not take any remedial measures to neutralise the reaction, resulting in the series of blast in the storage tanks,” said Rajendrasinh Chudasama, superintendent of police, Bharuch.