Dharavi fire: Garment factory owners booked after blaze injures workers

Dharavi garment factory fire leaves 5 workers critically injured due to short circuit. Owners booked for negligence in Mumbai. Injuries caused chaos.

Mumbai: The Dharavi police have registered a case against a garment trader after five workers in his unit suffered grievous injuries in a fire early Tuesday. The fire, caused by a short circuit, broke out in the cramped workspace, trapping the workers and leaving three of them in critical condition.

Mumbai, India. May 28, 2024: Six employees of the garment factory were injured, with five sustaining burns after a fire broke out in a garment factory building in the Dharavi area of Mumbai early on Tuesday. May 28, 2024. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

The incident occurred around 3:15 am at Parigul Girls Ethnic, a children’s clothing manufacturer operating from Ashok Silk Compound, Sant Rohidas Marg, Dharavi. The owners, Samim Mehmood Khan, 44, and Bosi Akthar Mohammad Zahir Shaikh, 36, have been booked by the police.

“The fire started due to a short circuit. In the dark, several workers suffered injuries, with five sustaining serious burns. Amjad Yar Mohammad Khan, 26, Salauddin Alam Sharim Alam, 28, and Saiddul Rehman Shaikh, 26, are in critical condition at Sion Hospital,” said a police officer.

The workers, who suffered burns on their hands, legs, and faces, managed to escape from the second floor and were rushed to the hospital. Investigations revealed that the second floor was divided between Parigul Girls Ethnic and M K Arts, with additional garment storage on the third floor owned by Samim Khan.

Workers repeatedly requested to be relocated for residential purposes due to the lack of adequate fire safety measures in the commercial property. The fire, exacerbated by the flammable materials in the garment factory, trapped the workers in the dark, causing chaos and injuries.

The owners have been charged under IPC sections 290 (public nuisance), 338 (causing grievous hurt by endangering life or personal safety), and section 52 of The Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act, 1948, for contraventions related to fire safety provisions.

The police are closely monitoring the conditions of the critically injured workers.