Overview
- Officials confirmed late Thursday that the death toll rose to five, with 23 injured under treatment after the Dewas factory explosion.
- Police arrested owner Anil Malviya under the National Security Act, sealed the unit, and suspended its firecracker license.
- A magisterial inquiry is underway, and experts from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation, the State Pollution Control Board, and the Forensic Science Laboratory are examining the cause and any safety breaches.
- Survivors alleged severe safety lapses, describing open drums of gunpowder and poor fire protection, and said migrant workers from Bihar were made to handle explosives despite being hired for other work.
- The government announced Rs 4 lakh for each bereaved family and free care for the injured, and officials said the plant began small-scale production about 15 days ago after a recent license renewal.