A Delhi court has sent the owner of the firecracker storage unit in Bawana area in Delhi, where 17 people were killed in a massive blaze, to five-day police custody.
Metropolitan Magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh allowed the police custody of accused Manoj Jain, 49, who was arrested on 21 January in connection with the fire tragedy which took place on 20 January.
A probe revealed it was a factory of "cold firecrackers" used in stage shows and Holi celebrations, the police had said.
The fire, which started at the storage unit on the ground floor of a two-storey building, ripped through the structure.
Ten women and seven men were killed and a man and woman were injured. The two injured – Roop Prakash (in his 20s) and Sunita (in her 40s) – have been admitted to a hospital.
While the fire department said the blaze occurred at a firecracker storage unit, the DCP said they are yet to confirm this. He said it was a matter of investigation if firecrackers were being manufactured there as well.
The police said an FIR has been registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible material. The police said they have identified the owners and they will be questioned.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rajneesh Gupta said a person named Manoj Jain has been apprehended. Jain’s business partner has been identified as Lalit Goel. It is to be verified if they were the owners or had taken the premises on rent, he said.
One of the injured labourers told the police that the firecrackers were brought from outside and were only packed at the unit. The police said they were verifying the claim.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish at the death of people in the fire. "My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives. May those who are injured recover quickly," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted quoting Modi.
The Delhi government ordered an inquiry into the blaze even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he was keeping a "close watch" on the rescue operations.
(With inputs from PTI)
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