The Banaskantha Police were granted an eight-day remand of the father-son duo accused in connection with the blast at a firecracker warehouse in Deesa that claimed the lives of 21 people, including seven children, on Tuesday.
Banaskantha Superintendent of Police (SP) Akshayraj Makwana said that both suspects were formally arrested late Wednesday night and subsequently presented in a local court. The court approved the police’s request for an eight-day remand, set to conclude on April 11.
The accused, Khubchand Renumal Mohanani and his son Deepak Khubchand Mohanani own Deepak Traders, which operates the warehouse. They were charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, among other offences under the BNS, as well as The Explosives Act of 1884 and The Explosive Substances Act of 1908 at the Deesa Rural police station.
Four more individuals were detained, including Deepak’s brother, an accountant, another person responsible for GST billing for Deepak Traders, and a fourth who police allege attempted to conceal or destroy the mobile devices of Khubchand and Deepak.
SP Makwana informed that two Special Investigation Teams (SITs) have been established to investigate the incident—one led by Deputy Superintendent of Police C L Solanki, consisting of local officers, and another headed by IAS Bhavin Patel from the Revenue Department.
The police also revealed that an initial analysis from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at the disaster site detected traces of two chemicals: aluminium powder and Yellow Dextrin powder. Aluminium powder is highly combustible and used to create a flash effect in firecrackers, while Yellow Dextrin serves as a binding agent.
All for meagre wages, toddlers exploited
Meanwhile, local sources and bomb survivors have shared horrifying stories of youngsters as young as six being made to handle dangerous explosives for pitiful pay. These toddlers were given activities that required accuracy, patience, and—most unsettlingly—small hands, such as manufacturing fireworks, putting gunpowder into shells, and tying delicate fuses, according to sources in the Deesa police department and the victims’ relatives. The majority of their parents were poor migrant workers who received between Rs 100 and Rs 200 a day. Before the incident, several people never received a single rupee.
Police in Banaskantha have not yet filed charges for dangerous working conditions and unlawful child labour, despite abundant proof of these crimes. Additionally, authorities have not explained how such a risky activity was left to go unabated. Ironically, 20 of the 27 labourers murdered in this explosion had survived a similar firework explosion in Harda, Madhya Pradesh, in February 2024, which had taken 11 lives, according to police sources and the relatives of the victims.
Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani said these workers should have been paid a minimum of Rs 1,000 per day. Instead, he claimed, they were subjected to life-threatening work under criminal conditions. He described it as a systemic failure adding that those responsible must be held accountable.
Were the owners alerted in advance?
It has also come to light that the police visited the Deesa firecracker factory for inspection on March 12 but found nothing suspicious despite conducting photographic and video documentation. Investigators believe the father and the son were tipped off about the inspection, giving them time to act promptly and clear the warehouse. According to a media report, they allegedly brought in 2,000 kg of explosive material used to manufacture firecrackers.
Later, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team discovered yellow dextrin powder, a pyrotechnic binder used in manufacturing explosives, according to a national daily.
On Thursday, the last rites of these 18 workers were performed on the banks of the Narmada River at Nemawar Ghat in Dewas district. Two other bodies that have not been identified have been sent for DNA tests.
Also Read: Dessa blast: Three-Year-old Left Searching for Family https://www.vibesofindia.com/dessa-blast-three-year-old-left-searching-for-family/
