Sigachi CEO Arrested Over Deadly Plant Blast That Claimed 54 Lives
Sigachi Industries CEO arrested six months after plant explosion in Telangana that killed 54 workers.
Six months after a devastating explosion at Sigachi Industries’ manufacturing unit in Telangana, the company’s Managing Director and CEO, Amit Raj Sinha, has been arrested in connection with the incident. The blast, which occurred on June 30 at the Pashamailaram industrial area in Sangareddy district, claimed 54 lives and left dozens injured, marking one of the worst industrial tragedies in recent years.
According to senior police officials, Sinha has been named as accused number two in the case registered over the explosion and fire. He was produced before a magistrate on Saturday and remanded to judicial custody. The arrest comes amid ongoing investigations into alleged lapses in safety and management responsibility at the facility.
In regulatory disclosures to the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India, Sigachi Industries confirmed the remand of its CEO. The company stated that operational continuity would be maintained and that Deputy Group CEO Lija Stephen Chacko would temporarily oversee day-to-day operations during the legal proceedings.
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The explosion and subsequent fire at the Sigachi plant resulted in the deaths of 54 workers and injuries to 33 others. While 46 bodies were identified, eight workers reported missing were later presumed dead. The facility manufactures microcrystalline cellulose powder, a key pharmaceutical ingredient used as a binding agent in tablets and capsules.
Police have registered a case under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 105 for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, which carries a punishment ranging from five years to life imprisonment. Additional charges include attempt to commit culpable homicide and voluntarily causing grievous hurt, reflecting the gravity of the incident.
The Telangana High Court has also expressed concern over delays in fixing responsibility for the explosion. While hearing a Public Interest Litigation, the court summoned the investigating officer and sought detailed records of the probe. In a counter-affidavit, the state government informed the court that Sigachi Industries had undertaken to pay ₹1 crore as compensation to each deceased worker’s family, though the timeline for disbursement remains unclear.
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