Palghar, Maharashtra: Two days after a toxic gas leak at Medley Pharmaceuticals in Boisar MIDC claimed the lives of four workers and left two others injured, questions over industrial safety and corporate accountability are mounting.
Relatives of the deceased allege that the tragedy could have been averted had the company taken basic precautions.
Faulty Reactor at the Heart of the Tragedy
Investigators said the leak originated from a reactor, where a bottom valve had reportedly developed a defect. Workers were producing a chemical called Albendazole when poisonous fumes escaped through the vent.
Despite knowing about the valve issue, management allegedly ordered production to continue, according to the police complaint filed by Nandlal Munsi Yadav, whose younger brother Kamlesh was among the dead.
The four workers who lost their lives were identified as: Kamlesh Munsi Yadav (30), Bengali Vida Thakur (47), Dheeraj Khetu Prajapati (31) and Kalpesh Hemant Raut (42)
Two others – Rohan Ashok Shinde (35) and security guard Nilesh Chandrakant Hadal (36), are recovering from gas exposure.
Case Filed Against Management
Police have booked four senior officials of the company, Director Sohail Khalid, CFO Devendra Bhagat, Plant Head Dharmesh Patel, and Maintenance Engineer Shubham Thakur, on charges of culpable homicide, negligence, and mishandling hazardous substances.
The offences are registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Indian Penal Code, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, negligence with poisonous substances and machinery, and endangering life.
Also Watch:
Investigation Underway
While police have yet to make any arrests, sources in the Boisar Police Station said statements from injured workers and staff are being recorded.
Authorities have assured speedy action, but for the victims’ families, the real concern is accountability. They insist the deaths were avoidable and are calling for justice for their loved ones, whose lives, they say, were lost to negligence.
