One person was killed and two injured when a fermenter exploded at AB Sugar Mill in Dasuya in Hoshiarpur district on Monday.
Mill employee, Gagandip Singh of Bodal village, 20, was charred to death while Sukhjit Singh and Manjit Singh sustained burns. Gagandip’s body was found in the fermenter that had exploded. A section of the building was damaged in the explosion.
Gagandip’s father Baljit Singh alleged his son had died due to the management’s carelessness. Activists held a demonstration against the mill authorities and blamed inadequate safety measures for the accident. Mill manager Des Raj suspects the blast occurred due to a short circuit.
Dasuya sub-divisional magistrate Harcharan Singh said police are investigating if the explosion took place due to the negligence of the mill management. A team from the Punjab pollution control board also inspected the mill.