Gala owner whose negligence caused 3 deaths in fire booked

Police in Navi Mumbai have registered a case against the owner of a steel market gala after a fire killed three people. The owner had initially claimed the fire was due to a short circuit, but it was later discovered that he was cutting a gas tanker without closing the valve, causing sparks to ignite the gas. The owner has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Navi Mumbai: A month after a fire broke out at the Gala in Kamboli Steel market, which killed three, the police have registered a case against the owner of the gala after finding out that he hid the real reason for the fire by claiming it to be short circuit.

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During the investigation, it was found that the owner, Waseem Shah Jaleel Shah, 35, was cutting a gas tanker in the gala without closing the valve of the tanker. And while using the gas cutter, the sparks came in contact with the gas that came out, causing a fire, a police officer said.

On January 9, at around 2:30 am, a fire caught in gala number 1072 owned by Shah, who ran a scrap dealing shop. In the fire, Munawar Chikan Shah, 24, Noor Mohammad Niga Mohammad, 35, Mohammad Kalam Dhotu Khan, 24, Samshuddin Rasiliuddin Salmani, 42, and Shah received burn injuries.

All five were taken to Habib hospital in Kurla, where they have been undergoing treatment.

During the treatment, in a month, three of the five identified as Munawar, Noor, and Kalam Dhotu succumbed to their burn injuries.

An accidental death report was registered in all three cases. The owner, in his statement, informed the police there was a short circuit in the meter box. “We did not find any evidence which pointed at a fire in the meter. We found a witness who informed us of the reality. The witness had seen the incident and told us about the cutting of the gas tanker, which led to the fire,” a police officer from Kalamboli police station said.

The owner, who is currently undergoing treatment for the burn injuries, has been booked under sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence), 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible mat­ter), 304A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code.