Chikkaballapur blast: Police lodge FIR against quarry owners; villagers shaken

CHIKKABALLAPUR: Hours after explosives allegedly transported from a quarry went off in Chikkaballapur district early on Tuesday, killing six men, first responders described the distressing scenes of strewn body parts and authorities filed an FIR naming 11 people.
Three owners of Sri Sai Shiradi Aggregate Quarry, whose employees were killed, and a mini-truck driver, whose vehicle was used to move the explosives, are among those booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other offences.The owners are on the run.
A preliminary examination by forensic experts found traces of gelatin, petroleum gel and ammonium nitrate at the site near Hirenagavalli village, Chikkaballapur taluk, about 80km from Bengaluru. Police believe the blast occurred around 1.30am when the six men were trying to hide the explosives. The quarry unit had been facing police scrutiny and feared that a raid was imminent. Hirenagavalli villagers were sleeping when the explosion rocked the area. They, along with some officers from the Gudibande police station, rushed to the site to look for survivors.
“You could smell burnt flesh and gunpowder from a distance. We first spotted the mini-truck and its injured driver. He revealed that the blast had occurred about 100 metres from him. We sent him to a hospital and started looking for other survivors using searchlights. There were none,” said an officer. “Bodies and limbs were scattered all over. A person’s face had been blown out, while another person was missing his lower body. We had never witnessed such horrific scenes before.”
Before sunrise, hundreds of people, including police teams, had gathered at the spot. A mangled motorbike helped authorities identify one victim, Abhi Naik, who worked as an accountant at the quarry unit and became a father 20 days ago. A man who identified himself as Naik’s uncle, Lakshmappa, was inconsolable as he paced up and down the blast site. “How do we give this news to his wife? What should I tell others? He was with his friends near Gudibande when he received a call at midnight. He told his friends that he had urgent office work and left. Who called him? What was the office work so late at night?” Lakshmappa said.
The mini-truck driver, Riyaz, has said in his statement that he didn’t know that they were transporting explosives.
Health minister K Sudhakar and home minister Basavaraj Bommai visited the spot. “The impact of the explosion was huge. Body parts were strewn across a large area. Some bodies are beyond recognition,” Sudhakar said. Bommai said that strict action would be taken against the quarry owners and others responsible for the incident.
Quarry had been under scanner, say police
Police suspect that Sri Sai Shiradi Aggregate Quarry, located near Hirenagavalli, had illegally stored explosives and the management ordered employees to stash them away. “The local police had stepped up checks, so they wanted to hide the explosives,” another officer said.
Chikkaballapur SP Mithun Kumar GK told TOI that the quarry unit was raided on February 7 and one staff member was arrested and material used in illegal quarrying was confiscated. “We seized 17 gelatin sticks, 14 gel tubes and a bundle of wire that had been stored illegally. On Monday, we seized a motorbike after another surprise check. Realising that we were after them, the owners seem to have decided to shift the explosives,” he added.
Another officer said that traces of explosives were detected on the bike. “This suggests that it was used to move explosive materials, including gelatin sticks. The vehicle’s documents have not been found,” he said.
Locals had raised concerns
Muniyappa, who lives in a nearby village, said that residents had opposed quarrying activities in the region, petitioning authorities a few months ago. He claimed that quarry owners blast boulders after midnight, disturbing villages. “Senior citizens are facing health issues because of the dust generated by quarrying activities. The continuous movement of trucks also affects flora and fauna,” he said.
Apart from the three owners, the FIR also names the six employees killed in the blast, another staff member and Riyaz. “The Gudibande police have filed a case against quarry owner Nagaraja Reddy, who is from Hirenagavalli, and his partners Shiva Reddy and Raghavendra Reddy, who are residents of Andhra Pradesh. They have booked under IPC section 304 [culpable homicide not amounting to murder] and under the Explosives Act. The charges are non-bailable. The three owners, who are the prime accused, are at large,” said a senior police officer, adding that three people had been detained.
Oppn leader seeks murder charge against suspects
Siddaramaiah, the opposition leader in the assembly, visited Hirenagavalli village on Tuesday afternoon and demanded answers from police and officials of the mines and geology department. “Do these things happen without your knowledge? A similar incident had happened in Shivamogga. Don’t some quarry owners indulge in illegal quarrying? And you people don’t have any control on them?” he said.
He asked why police had not booked the quarry owners for murder. “Six men are dead. Why not book the owners for murder?” he added.