A massive explosion and fire took place in an illegal firecracker factory and godown in Deesa, Banaskantha on April 1. Owing to the incident, 21 workers lost their lives. All of them were residents of Harda and Dewas districts of Madhya Pradesh. A man injured in the incident has died while receiving treatment, increasing the number of deaths to 22. Meanwhile, 2 bodies have been identified after DNA report.
A 23-year-old man named Vijay Kazmi, hailing from Madhya Pradesh, died while undergoing treatment at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. The death toll has risen to 22. Out of these, 19 bodies have been handed over to the respective families. Apart from this, the DNA report of the 2 bodies kept in Deesa Civil Hospital revealed that the names of the deceased are Sanjay and Lakshmi. The body of Sanjay has been sent to Madhya Pradesh through ambulance.
The police had registered a case against the factory owner Khubchand Mohanani, and his son Deepak Mohanani under sections including culpable homicide, and had subsequently arrested them.
On April 3, the police produced the accused father and son in the court, demanding a 10-day remand. The court approved the remand for 8 days. As per sources, Deepak has been a primary member of BJP. He was a minister in the Deesa BJP Yuva Morcha, and has also been the minister of the Youth BJP from 2014-17.
The last rites of 18 people who lost their lives in the explosion were performed together. Their bodies were cremated at Narmada Ghat (Nemavar). On the other hand, bodies of the Dewas labourers reached their ancestral village, Sandalpur. After their antim darshan, all the bodies were taken to Nemawar Ghat.