After seven workers die, four more killed cleaning tank of same Gujarat firm

Four labourers on Saturday died while cleaning out a chemical tank of a private firm, Vishal Fabrics, owned by Chiripal Group, located in the outskirts of Ahmedabad. Police said that labourers followed each other into the tank containing chemical waste after the first one to go failed to respond. This is the second fatal incident this year involving the same group. Earlier, seven workers had been burnt to death in another denim factory in the city where gross negligence of fire safety norms had been revealed.

"There were four workers who had been hired by a private contractor for cleaning the chemical tank. After the first labourer didn't come out and stopped responding, three others stepped into the tank one by one and died," said Ahmedabad district superintendent of police R V Asari. He said the incident happened in Dholi village of Dholka taluka at a chemical waste facility of the Vishal Fabrics associated with Chiripal Group. The factory manufactures stretch denim fabric.

The victims have been identified as Mayur Barad, Vijay Barad, both resident of Sanand and Pravin Rathod and Prabhu Jamod, residents of Dholka. They were in their early 20s. Assistant Superintendent of Police Nitish Pandey said that the process of FIR was underway. Meanwhile, Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani twitted pictures of the victims and alleged that the police were "reluctant to lodge an FIR" against the company for its connection with the political party.

Earlier in February, seven workers died in a fire that had erupted at Nandan Denim Company, belonging to Chiripal Group, located in Narol area of Ahmedabad city. Records state that forensic reports suggested that fire broke out because of "negligence" of the factory owners as "the shade of the shirting department (where the fire broke out), was built with the support of sheets and without fire safety. There was only one staircase to go up from the basement to the first floor and that too only had one exit door." It was also found that "There was no emergency exit or windows or lift in the department. The accused persons did not make proper safety arrangements knowing that in an event of a fire accident, such improper arrangements can be dangerous for the workers working in the factory."

Deepak Chiripal and Jyotiprasad Chiripal against whom the FIR was registered approached high court which granted them relief on the ground that the FIR "lacked" basic ingredient of the offence under section 304 of Indian Penal Code.