Gas Leak at Pharma Plant Kills Four
Four officials face charges after fatal Palghar gas leak.
A catastrophic nitrogen gas leak at Medley Pharma in Maharashtra’s Palghar district claimed the lives of four workers and left two others in critical condition, prompting police to file a culpable homicide case against four senior company officials on August 22, 2025. The incident, which occurred on Thursday afternoon at the Boisar Industrial Estate, roughly 130 kilometers from Mumbai, has raised serious questions about safety protocols at the pharmaceutical facility.
According to Vivekanand Kadam, chief of Palghar’s district disaster management cell, the leak originated from a nitrogen reaction tank between 2:30 pm and 3:00 pm, affecting six workers. The victims, identified as Kalpesh Raut (43), Bengali Thakur (46), Dheeraj Prajapati (31), and Kamlesh Yadav (31), were rushed to Shinde Hospital but succumbed to their injuries by 6:15 pm. Two others, Rohan Shinde (35) and Nilesh Hadal (37), remain in critical condition in the ICU, with doctors closely monitoring their health.
Boisar police have registered an FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 105 for culpable homicide not amounting to murder against four unnamed senior staffers. “The investigation is underway, and no arrests have been made so far,” a police official stated. Authorities, alongside officials from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, are probing potential lapses in safety measures. “A technical assessment of the nitrogen tank will determine the exact cause,” another official noted, emphasizing the need to evaluate compliance with safety protocols.
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The tragedy, which occurred with 36 workers present in the plant, has sparked outrage among locals and workers’ families, with many demanding accountability. Posts on X reflect growing calls for stricter industrial regulations. As investigations continue, the incident underscores the urgent need for enhanced safety standards in India’s industrial sector to prevent such devastating losses.
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