Nagpur, India-  Hingna Police arrested Jay Shivshankar Khemka, Director of Chamundi Explosives Pvt Ltd, and Sagar Deshmukh, Factory Manager, on Thursday night. They were charged with negligence that led to a deadly blast killing six workers. The charges included causing death by negligence, causing grievous hurt, and negligent handling of explosives. Both men were released on bail the next day.

Khemka and Deshmukh appeared in court on Friday. The prosecution wanted to hold them for five more days to investigate how the blast happened and why safety measures were not in place. The defence argued that the charges were bailable and said it was an accident. The court released them on bail with a cash surety of Rs 50,000 each.

The arrests followed an explosion at Chamundi Explosives Pvt Ltd’s plant in Dhamna (Turagondi), killing six workers: Pranjali Kisan Modre (22), Prachi Shrikant Falke (20), Vaishali Anandrao Kshirsagar (20), Monali Shankarrao Aloney (27), Sheetal Ashish Chatap (30), and Pannalal Bandewar (50). Two others, Shraddha Vanraj Patil (22) and Pramod Chaware (25), were seriously injured.

The incident drew attention nationwide. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, along with other politicians and senior police officials, visited the site. Gadkari promised proper medical care for the injured and announced Rs 10 lakh in financial aid for the families of the deceased. Chamundi Explosives also provided Rs 25 lakh to each bereaved family. Gadkari directed the police to conduct a fair investigation to prevent future incidents.

Initial investigations showed the explosion happened while workers were packing microchords for fireworks. Experts from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) will investigate further to check if the company followed safety rules. Some political leaders claimed PESO did not regularly inspect the factory.

In a sad update, the death toll rose to seven. Dansa Maraskolhe (26), who suffered over 90% burns, died from his injuries at Dande Hospital on Friday night. His body will be sent for a post-mortem examination.

An anonymous company officer stated that Chamundi Explosives strictly follows the Explosives Rules 2008 for manufacturing, storing, packaging, and transporting explosives. However, the investigation will verify if all safety measures were properly followed.