Police recording statements of other workers at the cattle feed unit in Kot Ise Khan of Moga. (Express photo)

Three workers died while cleaning a 20-feet deep molasses liquid tank in a cattle feed manufacturing unit at Kot Ise Khan of Moga Monday. Of the three deceased, two were brothers, said police.

Police said that the unit owner was having permission to supply animal feed, which is an essential commodity during curfew but deployment of labourers to clean molasses tank was not permitted.

The incident happened at Ekam Industries, a cattle feed manufacturing unit in village Cheema of Kot Ise Khan. Police said initially one worker got unconscious and died after inhaling poisonous gas while cleaning the tank. The two others also died when they went to save him.

The three deceased were identified as Jaspreet Singh and Satnam Singh, both brothers from village Khosa Kotla and Surjit Singh from village Jaaniya. All were aged 25 to 30.

Dharamkot DSP Yadwinder Singh said that the unit owner Sanjiv Kumar has been booked in an FIR for causing death due to negligence and for violating curfew orders by employing laborers to clean the molasses tank.

“Animal feed is an essential commodity and unit was having permission to supply feed but not to employ workers to clean the molasses liquid tank. One of three laborers had entered tank to clean it and when he did not return for a long time, the other two went. They also died inhaling poisonous gas. There was fourth laborer present on the spot too but he has been saved,” said DSP.

FIR against the owner was registered under the sections 304-A (causing death due to negligence) and 188 (disobedience to the order duly promulgated by public servant) of IPC at Kot Ise Khan police station on the complaint of Sukhjinder Singh, third brother of two deceased brothers.

Police was yet to arrest the owner till the filing of this report.