Two workers tragically lost their lives on Saturday morning due to a toxic gas leak at PAB Leather Company in Bakkalapalli village, Pernambut taluk of Vellore district, Tamil Nadu. The deceased have been identified as Sheikh Ali (60) and Jamal Basha alias Settu (41), both residents of Pernambut.

According to police, the incident occurred around 8:30 am when the two employees entered a tanning drum to check on leather sheets left for drying and hair removal. They reportedly inhaled lethal fumes and collapsed inside the drum. Fellow workers later discovered them unconscious and rushed them to a private hospital in Umarabad, Tirupattur, where doctors declared them dead on arrival. The bodies were then shifted to Pernambut Government Hospital for postmortem examination.

Pernambut police have registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) for unnatural death and are continuing their investigation. No action has been initiated against the factory owner, Ashan Basha, so far.

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Local councillor Atheeq Ur Rahman, representing the ward of one of the deceased, alleged serious safety violations at the factory. He claimed workers were not provided essential protective gear such as masks or gloves, in breach of the Factories Act, 1948, and the Environmental Protection Act, 1986. Rahman further accused several tanneries in the region of routinely flouting safety and environmental norms, with only export-oriented units adhering to standards for certification purposes. He also criticised lax inspections by the factory inspector, alleging routine bribery.

The incident has once again highlighted persistent safety concerns in Tamil Nadu’s leather tanning industry, particularly in Vellore district, a major hub for leather processing.

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