Manesar cracker manufacturer succumbs to burn injuries at Safdarjung Hospital

At least five members of his family, including him and a minor girl and boy, sustained severe burn injuries from the incident which took place in their home. The family was allegedly manufacturing and storing banned firecrackers which caused the explosion

A 40-year-old man from Nakhrola village in Manesar, who was injured in an explosion on October 12, died at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital late on Saturday night, police said. At least five members of his family, including him and a minor girl and boy, sustained severe burn injuries from the incident which took place in their home. The family was allegedly manufacturing and storing banned firecrackers which caused the explosion, police said.

Jai Bhagwan was manufacturing crackers for the last 15 years and picked up fights with people who asked him to stop doing so. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Jai Bhagwan was manufacturing crackers for the last 15 years and picked up fights with people who asked him to stop doing so. Suresh Panghal, assistant commissioner of police (Manesar), said that the explosion took place due to a huge amount of illegally stored firecrackers, gunpowder and chemicals inside the house. “The incident could have been more severe as two cooking cylinders were kept inside the kitchen which fortunately did not catch fire. The explosion blew away the roof and walls of the house and was heard by villagers a kilometre away,” he said.

Panghal said that Bhagwan was manufacturing banned crackers with help of his family members. “He was probably manufacturing them on a large scale owing to Diwali and the upcoming marriage season. Police found several types of crackers like rockets and small explosives manufactured by wrapping several layers of threads around explosives. Large quantities of raw material and chemicals were also found inside the house,” he said.

A team of ballistic and forensic experts from the Madhuban forensics lab collected samples of crackers and chemicals for analysis after the incident.

Bhagwan’s sons Manish (21) and Tanuj (9), daughter Chavi (11), and relatives Vishnu (32) and Shubhash (50) suffered more than 92% burns and remain critical. His wife, who was cooking in the kitchen at the time of the explosion, managed to escaped with minor injuries.

A case was registered against Bhagwan at Kherki Daula police station under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 286 (whoever does, with any explosive substance, any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life), 336 (whoever does any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life) and 338 (causing grievous hurt to any person by doing any act negligently as to endanger human life) of the Indian Penal Code on October 13. More than 200 police personnel have been deployed in Manesar to keep a check on the sale and manufacturing of banned crackers, police said.