Inspector General of Police (West Zone) R. Sudhakar, on Wednesday inspected the site of a firecracker blast, to monitor the investigation that is currently underway into the incident, that killed nine and injured 11, in Pazhayapettai in Krishnagiri district on July 29, 2023.
The explosion decimated a building that housed a firecracker outlet, an eatery, a welding unit and a woodworks shop.
IG Sudhakar, accompanied by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Salem, S. Rajeswari visited the blast site and held an inquiry. The visit by the police team led by the IG coincided with the visit of a forensic team from Chennai that is investigating the blast site.
In the wake of the blast, based on preliminary reports, an FIR was registered citing the explosion of a cylinder as a probable cause that triggered the explosion at the firecracker outlet in the vicinity. However, Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, responding to a query raised by the AIADMK’s MP M. Thambidurai in Parliament, rebutted the cylinder blast theory, alleging that the source of the blast was the firecracker outlet itself. The relatives of the deceased too, have contested the cylinder blast theory.
On Tuesday, August 1, 2023, the State Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the Collector and Superintendent of Police seeking a report on the blast.
