After UP cracker factory blast, bulldozers raze accused’s house
Authorities have razed a three-storey house of the main accused in the illegal cracker factory blast in Manouri town, while the death toll in the incident rose to 14, with one more person succumbing to injuries, officials said on Wednesday.
Superintendent of Police Satya Narain Prajapat said that Urvashi (17), who was injured in the explosion, died during treatment at SRN hospital in Prayagraj.
He said that a warehouse, owned by Kahkashan Bano, the wife of Naushad - who is the main accused in the August 31 firecracker factory blast case - was raided by police in Muratganj market.
Six sacks of firecrackers were seized from two rooms of the warehouse during the search, officials said.
A joint team of the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) and Kaushambi Police carried out the demolition of Naushad's house. District Magistrate Amit Pal said the house was constructed without the required building map approval and other permissions from the authority.
A bulldozer was stationed at Naushad's house at 6 pm on Tuesday and the property was brought down to rubble after an 11-hour operation, they said. "The three-storey house of the main accused Naushad was completely demolished in the joint action by PDA officials and Kaushambi Police. The demolition operation continued from 6 pm on Tuesday till 5 am on Wednesday," Pal said.
On Monday night, hours after the blast in which 11 children were among the dead, the district administration demolished warehouses linked to the illegal cracker business.
"Strict action will continue against those violating the rules," Pal said. Naushad was arrested on Tuesday. His sister-in-law Shabana and niece Saina were also held. The police are looking for three others — Shakeel, Adil and Kahkashan Begum -- and have announced a reward of Rs 25,000 each for information leading to their whereabouts.
All six have been booked under sections 105 (culpable homicide) and 288 (negligent conduct involving explosives) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 4, 5 and 9-B of the Explosives Act.
The police are identifying properties allegedly acquired through illegal income by all six. They are also collecting evidence to invoke the National Security Act (NSA), sources said.
The incident has prompted a police crackdown against illegal firecracker manufacturing and storage during which four people have been arrested.
Police arrested a man from Deviganj market and seized 218 kg of explosive material, including manufactured and semi-manufactured firecrackers and material used to make them, the SP said.
The accused, Lal Mohammad, was allegedly storing the material at the house of Roshan Ansari, police said. A case was registered under sections 4, 5 and 9-B of the Explosives Act and Section 288 of the BNS.
In another action in Mahewa Ghat police station area, three people -- Rukhsana, wife of late Mushtaq Ali, her son Salman and Saddam -- were arrested and 250 semi-manufactured firecracker bombs, 300 manufactured firecracker bombs and 3,400 crackers were seized, police said.
On the arrested persons' information, police also raided the house of a man identified as Aman in Mahewa Ghat village and recovered a large quantity of semi-manufactured and manufactured firecrackers, gunpowder and other raw materials.
A case was registered against the three under sections 5/9-B(1)(b) of the Explosives Act and Section 288 of the BNS.
After the Monday tragedy, mine police personnel were suspended for alleged negligence in allowing the factory to operate illegally.
Inspector Shivcharan Ram, former Pipri station house officer; sub-inspectors Vikas Singh, Vinay Singh, Ajit Kumar Singh, Abhishek Gupta, Manish Pal and Amit Dwivedi; head constable Jitendra Kumar and constable Krishna Kumar were taken off duty.
The blast damaged several houses within about 100 metres of the factory, with three properties collapsing completely.
