The Belur Police on Tuesday lodged a case against three owners of a factory named Sandip Industry, located in the Bajrang Bali scrap market, in connection with a gas leak incident that resulted in 30 people being hospitalised. “Yes an FIR has been filed under various sections of the IPC and Fire and Services Act. We are looking for those who have been named in the FIR,” Raj Karan Nayar, DC North (Howrah) told The Indian Express.
According to police sources, the fire department had lodged the FIR against the owners of the factory for illegally storing cylinders. The cylinder, from which chlorine gas reportedly leaked, was sent for forensic examination. “Prima facie, it was chlorine gas that had leaked. However, we are not experts and hence kind of gas it was and for what purpose it was stored will only be clear after it is examined by experts,” said a police officer.
According to police sources, the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) was informed about the incident, and it examined the portion of the Ganga into which the leaking cylinder was rolled, allegedly by fire department officials. River water in the area had allegedly turned yellow due to the chemical, posing a serious risk to the local ecology.