Prayagraj cold storage collapse: Owner, son among 3 arrested; ammonia blast suspected cause

Police arrested Ansar Ahmed and two others after a cold storage facility collapse in Prayagraj killed four workers. An ammonia explosion is suspected.

In a coordinated late-night operation, police arrested Ansar Ahmed, the owner of the cold storage facility in Prayagraj that collapsed on Monday—killing four workers and injuring 14 others—along with his son Manzoor, and his nephew Alauddin. They were produced before a court on Tuesday and subsequently sent to jail, police said.

Local residents carrying potatoes dumped along with the cold store debris in Phaphamau Kachchar area on Tuesday. (ANIL KUMAR MAURYA/HT PHOTO)

Meanwhile, according to a complaint filed by SSI Kambod Singh, the cause of the incident has been attributed to the explosion of an ammonia gas chamber.

Based on a written complaint filed late Monday night by SSI Singh, an FIR was registered against 12 individuals—including seven named accused: the cold storage facility’s owner and former Samajwadi Party MLA Ansar Ahmed, manager Usman, Manjur Alam (Ansar Ahmed’s son), Javed, Allauddin, Mohd Irfan, and Mohd Aslam Baba—along with four to five unidentified accomplices, said DCP (Trans-Ganga) Kuldeep Singh Gunawat.

They have been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including Section 103 (murder), as well as Section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1932, along with other serious charges, the DCP said.

A search is underway to nab the remaining named accused as well as the unidentified accomplices, he added.

The complaint also specifically attributes the disaster to the explosion of an ammonia gas chamber. It stated that the cold storage facility, built nearly 25 years ago, had not undergone repairs for years and had become structurally unsafe. No technician had been appointed for its maintenance.

The facility management is also accused of storing potatoes far beyond the authorised capacity and releasing ammonia gas in quantities exceeding safety limits—allegedly in pursuit of profit. These actions, carried out while the facility was operational, are said to have directly led to the collapse.

Meanwhile, commissioner Soumya Agarwal, along with district magistrate Manish Kumar Verma and other senior officials, on Tuesday inspected the facility, reviewed the ongoing relief and rescue operations, and directed officials to expedite the removal of the remaining debris to ensure that no one remains trapped.

Taking note of the complications caused by the ammonia gas leak, she instructed authorities to further strengthen safety measures in the surrounding area and to continue rescue operations on a war footing.

The incident occurred on Monday afternoon when the Adarsh Cold Store in Chandapur, under Phaphamau police station limits of Prayagraj, suddenly collapsed following a loud explosion. The front portion of the building caved in, killing four workers on the spot and injuring 14 others, including a young boy.

Senior police and administrative officials, along with NDRF and other rescue teams, immediately launched relief and rescue operations at the site, which continued for over 30 hours as of 8 pm on Tuesday. At the same time, police accelerated the investigation into the incident.

DCP Gunawat confirmed that no additional bodies were found during the overnight rescue operations.

Following the collapse, an ammonia gas leak was reported at the facility, triggering an emergency response. Officials said the fire brigade successfully contained the leak, while teams from the district administration and police continued to remain deployed at the site.

Minister suspends DHO

Taking a tough stand, the state government also initiated action against officials. Minister of state (Horticulture) Dinesh Pratap Singh on Tuesday suspended district horticulture officer Saurabh Srivastava. The minister also visited the accident site and met the injured undergoing treatment at various hospitals.

Cold storage remained shut for a decade amid disputes

The Adarsh Cold Storage in Phaphamau—now in the news after the recent accident—has a long history of controversy. Although the facility was established in 1993, it remained non-operational for nearly a decade due to ongoing internal disputes.

Owned by former minister Ansar Ahmed, the cold storage was established in 1993 but was shut down in 2013 following disputes within the management. Officials said these internal conflicts were the main reason for its prolonged closure.

Licences issued solely on engineers’ reports

In 2023, Ansar obtained a one-year operating licence from the Directorate, which was renewed again in 2024 for five years.

Investigations revealed that no departmental inspection was conducted in 2024, before granting the licence to the facility. Instead, officials relied solely on an engineer’s report, based on which the district horticulture department issued the licence.

As per departmental rules, the district horticulture officer is required to personally conduct a physical verification of the premises before approving a licence. However, officials allegedly bypassed this mandatory step.

The lapse came to light on Tuesday morning when the district horticulture officer submitted a report on the incident to the DM. Taking serious note of the irregularities, the district magistrate directed officials to register an FIR against the engineer whose report formed the basis for granting the licence.

The DM also expressed dissatisfaction with the practice of issuing cold storage licences for a five-year period. He emphasised that licences should be renewed annually, as this would ensure regular inspections and enable authorities to accurately assess the operational condition of each facility.

Locals collect potatoes dumbed with debris

The debris removed by multiple JCBs and transported through dumper trucks throughout Monday night and Tuesday included several tonnes of potatoes stored in the cold storage. Local residents were seen throughout the day collecting potatoes dumped along with the debris in the Phaphamau kachchar area, and also taking away iron bars entangled in the rubble.