Police blame negligence for blast

Even as the DMK government was at pains to clarify that there was no 8216;sabotage8217; or 8216;conspiracy8217; in the Saturday blast at Senthur village near Tindivanam...

Even as the DMK government was at pains to clarify that there was no 8216;sabotage8217; or 8216;conspiracy8217; in the Saturday blast at Senthur village near Tindivanam, about 130 km from here, caused by a vehicle carrying 200 kg of slurry explosives, the police said the explosion was caused due to negligence.

The jeep with its explosive cargo also carried a box of 150 detonators and 375 metres of detonating fuse, violating statutory safety regulations. The explosion killed 16 people, including four women and a child. At least six more injured villagers admitted to the JIPMER Hospital in nearby Puducherry are said to be in critical condition.

The police have detained Nagappan, manager of Sree Sakthi Explosives, and his assistant Annamalai under Section 3 b of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, and IPC Sections 304 culpable homicide and 286 negligence. Special police teams have been formed to nab the absconding owner of the factory, Shekar, a licensed dealer of explosives, who belonged to Puducherry, Inspector General of Police North Zone K Radhakrishnan told The Indian Express.

The jeep carrying the explosives and headed for a government quarry in Vilangambadi, about 2 km away, blew up near Senthur after the driver stopped the vehicle on seeing smoke coming from the rear. Even as the occupants tried to throw sand on the smoke, the vehicle blew up killing all three occupants and 13 villagers, including four women and a child.

8220;The jeep was carrying the slurry explosives along with the detonators against statutory safety regulations. The slurry alone would not have caused the explosion. This has been confirmed by a team of explosives experts who examined the blast site,8221; said Radhakrishnan.

They also pointed out that if the driver had quickly removed the box of detonators from the jeep, the tragedy could have been averted, he added.

The blast was so massive that it caused extensive damage to houses and pucca buildings in the village, besides killing villagers in the vicinity of the vehicle. Only the charred engine, thrown about six metres away, survived the blast. Nothing else remained of the vehicle. The police also recovered the licence plate, bearing the registration number TCQ 3033, which helped them trace the owner.

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Meanwhile, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi convened a meeting with state officials, including Chief Secretary L K Tripathy and Director General of Police D Mukherjee.

The government has announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 1 lakh to the nearest kin of all those killed. AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, who cancelled her visit to Uttar Pradesh, where she was to campaign for the Samajwadi Party in the Assembly polls, has offered Rs 25,000 to the victims8217; families.