Harda factory blast: Ex-Cong MLA Dogne wears firecracker garland to MP assembly demanding action against guilty

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], February 8 (ANI): An ex-Congress MLA from Harda assembly constituency staged a protest by wearing a garland of firecrackers around his neck on Thursday to protest the recent firecracker factory fire incident in the State, which resulted in the death of 11 people and left 173 injured.

The Congress leader R K Dogne protested in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on assembly premises today and demanded strict action against the guilty.

Dogne told ANI, “I had to come up with a symbolic Sutli bomb to tell the State, the country and the assembly that our people have been killed. It was a tragic incident, and it happened because of the incompetence of the administration and the government. Action should be taken against the officers and if any leader is involved in it then action should be taken against them as well.

“My allegation is that more people may be buried there. At least 100 to 150 people may have been buried. About 600 labourers were there, out of which about 200 people were rescued. Where did the rest go? It should be investigated thoroughly. There should be a journalist and local MLA into the investigation committee,” the Congress MLA said.

A massive fire broke out inside a firecracker factory located in the Bairagarh area of Harda district on Tuesday morning. Due to the massive explosion, the entire area was engulfed in black smoke, with window panes of houses and shops located in the vicinity getting shattered.

Dozens of houses located nearby were gutted in the incident that took place. Locals recounted that it felt as if an earthquake had hit Harda. Several vehicles were also caught fire in the explosions.

Following the incident, Harda Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjeev Kumar Kanchan was transferred to Police headquarters, Bhopal and Harda Collector Rishi Garg was also transferred to Bhopal as deputy secretary in the MP government on Wednesday.