30-year-old man killed in Meerut after being caught in an explosion thought to have been triggered by burning toner cartridges.
The Times of India reported on the explosion at the Durga Complex in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, which resulted in the death of 30-year-old Pawan Kumar; with an investigation into the explosion suggesting that it was likely to have been triggered by burning toner cartridges in one of the complex’s shops.
An intelligence official reportedly explained that “around 1,000 such cartridges were stacked a shop, as per an estimate” and that “the burning of the cartridge could have led to oxidisation of toner ink contained therein, resulting in formation of gas”. This became a problem as “the shop in question had no ventilation” meaning that “the building in pressure could have resulted in the blast”. The official said: “The blast was on horizontal lines because of this […] If an improvised explosive device (IED) were used then invariably a crater would have formed.”
This view was supported by both Inspector General of Police Alok Sharma and Sehdev Singh of the Bomb Disposal Squad, who explained that “besides using various devices, we also deployed a dog squad, which found no sign of an explosive device in the building. Thus, the blast was accidental”.
The explosion, which occurred at 1.30am local time on 24 October, has affected a number of traders whose shops were nearby, with some demanding compensation of Rs 50 lakh ($81,600/€64,000) along with a government job for relatives of Kumar and Rs 25 lakh ($40,800/€32,000) for each of the affected shop owners. Brijesh Rana, a trader whose shop was “gutted” by the explosion, said: “It is for the police to decide whether it (the blast) was a terrorist activity or an accident, but our loss is massive. The blast has taken away our livelihood. The administration is displaying a callous attitude towards us. No government representative or police personnel tried to empathise with what we are going through.”
However, district magistrate Pankaj Yadav reportedly “assured all possible help to those affected by the blast”, asking them to file a police report and to draft a letter outlining their demands “for consideration by the administration”.