Seven persons,including four women and one child,were killed and a dozen were injured in an explosion at an illegal cracker manufacturing unit in Mau Aima area of Allahabad on Wednesday morning. The police said the unit was being run illegally. A case has been registered in this connection. Senior officials later conducted raids to check if licensed cracker manufacturers in the densely populated area were following safety norms. Police said the incident took place around 9.30 a.m. in Pure Mian Kao Gaon in Mau Aima. The explosion was so strong that the roof of the single-storeyed building collapsed and nearly 20 people present inside were trapped in it. It took about an hour for the residents of the crowded area and the police to rescue them. Three persons identified as Kusum Devi (50),wife of Dwarika Prasad,Ram Rati (25),wife of Sri Ram,and Bhulesar Ahmed (22),son of Mohammad Akhtar,all residents of Mau Aima were found dead on the spot. The others were rushed to Bailey Hospital on Stanley Road. Four more persons Aasma (14),daughter of Mohammad Jaleel,Rahul (18),son of Dwarika Prasad,another woman,identified only as wife of one Ghanshyam,and a 10-year-old boy,Irfan succumbed to their injuries later in the day. The injured have been identified as Amravati (45),Sunil Kumar (18),Ilias Mohammad (20),Badrunnisa (40),Savitri Devi (60),Gudiya (30),Kiran (40),Suraj (22),Kanchan (25),Sabir Ali (40),Atique (17) and Monu (19). Their condition was reported to be stable. Preliminary investigation indicated that the building was owned by one Tayyab Ali and he had rented it out to one Badrunnisa,who had a licence to sell crackers but manufactured them as well. Low-grade explosives used in making crackers were stacked in the basement of the building,the police said. The FIR was registered at Mau Aima police station under Sections 286 (negligent conduct with respect to handling explosive substance),304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder),304-A (causing death due to negligence),337 and 338 (causing grievous hurt by an act endangering life of a person) of the Indian Penal Code and under different sections of the Explosive Substances Act. Badrunissa,her husband Mohammad Saeed and owner of the building Tayyab Ali have been named in the FIR, said SP (trans-Ganga),J P Pandey. Pandey said at least 19 licences issued in the area for selling crackers. He said it appears that many of the licence holders were violating norms and were stocking explosive material. I and senior administration officials carried out a raid to verify how the licence holders were operating. Many people have fled. Each premises will be thoroughly checked and action taken against violators, said Pandey. In most such units,women and young children were employed as handling explosives required soft touch,he said. Also,the economic condition of these families is not strong,forcing them to take up hazardous jobs for low salaries, said Pandey.
