4 years on, Shivamogga quarry blast case probe is again to sq. one

Chikka Bore Gowda, a resident of Kengal Hanumanthaiya Nagar close to Bhadravati in Shivamogga district of Karnataka, calls his son C. Devendra’s cell phone every so often solely to listen to a pre-recorded message saying that the decision couldn’t be related. Gowda final noticed his son 4 years in the past.

Sixty-year-old Gowda, a farmer, misplaced his ailing spouse, Susheela, eight years again. He lived along with his son and his household. The blast at a stone-crushing unit at Hunasodu close to Shivamogga on January 21, 2021, left them devastated. The police who investigated the case concluded that six individuals died within the incident, although they recognized 5 among the many victims initially. Three individuals, together with Devendra who was on the web site that fateful evening, have been declared “missing”.

“If we knew for certain that he died in that blast, we would have reconciled to the loss over time. But now, we are dying every day thinking of him. We don’t know what happened to him for certain,” says a tearful Gowda. Although the police later stated the DNA take a look at proved the sixth physique to be that of Devendra’s, Gowda refuses to imagine it and continues to harbour suspicion.

Devendra alias Shashi had a daughter and his spouse, Shobha, was pregnant with the second youngster when he went “missing” following the blast. “After he did II PU [pre-university course], I insisted that he stay at home looking after cows and agriculture in the village instead of going out for any job. After I lost my wife, I wanted my son to remain with me,” says Gowda. The daddy obtained an autorickshaw for Devendra, who often labored for Praveen, who used to acquire explosives for stone-crushing items. In accordance with Gowda, Devendra would accumulate cash from these operating thestone-crushing items and hand it over to Praveen. He had maintained a pocket book of funds.

The blast that shook all

It was round 10.20 p.m. on January 21, 2021, {that a} lorry carrying explosives, together with gelatin sticks and detonators, blew up on the Hunasodu stone quarry. The reason for the accident shouldn’t be clear as all these on the spot died or went lacking. It’s stated that the lorry got here in touch with a transformer, resulting in a spark. There have been no security measures in place. The blast was so intense that residents of Shivamogga metropolis — about 4 km away — and a number of other villages in Bhadravati taluk and likewise these within the neighbouring Davangere and Chikkamagaluru districts heard the sound and thought it was an earthquake.

The influence of the blast was so enormous that many homes within the villages of Hunasodu and Kalluganguru suffered injury. Many borewells across the quarry space have been rendered defunct and lots of of digital devices went out of order. Individuals residing close to Hunasodu — who reached the spot after seeing flames and thick waves of mud engulfing the locality — discovered components of each the lorry and our bodies of individuals scattered throughout a big space. The police ultimately cordoned off the world and known as in consultants to grasp what really had occurred.

The incident caught the nation’s consideration and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi took to social media to precise shock and supply condolences.

How the case progressed

The subsequent day, on January 22, 2021, the Shivamogga Rural police registered a case underneath the Explosives Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and sections of the Indian Penal Code that handled negligence in dealing with explosives and culpable murder, not amounting to homicide. The police concluded that six individuals died within the incident, and so they recognized 5 amongst them. They have been Mopuri Pavan, 29; Chamma Javeed, 28; Chelimanu Raju, 24; Manjunath, 35, and Praveen, 36. Three others — Devendra, Punith, and Nagaraj — have been declared “missing”.

Praveen, in keeping with the police, usually equipped explosives to stone crushers. He had contacts in Andhra Pradesh from the place he procured the explosives. Devendra, Manjunath of Antaragange, Punith of Basavanagudi and R. Nagarajof Gowrapura, — all residents of neighbouring villages in Bhadravati taluk — labored as Praveen’s drivers and helpers every time wanted. On that fateful day, Praveen took all of them to ship the products. Whereas Praveen and Manjunath have been discovered lifeless, the remaining three have been declared “missing”.

“If we knew for certain that he died in that blast, we would have reconciled to the loss over time. But now, we are dying every day thinking of him. We don’t know what happened to him for certain.”Chikka Bore Gowda,father of C. Devendra

Vinay Kumar, son of Nagaraj, a fisherman, says he and his father have been fishing at Gowrapura tank on the day when his father obtained a name from Praveen. “He gave me ₹20 and left with Praveen. That was the last I saw him,” says Vinay Kumar, 24. Nagaraj’s spouse, Shanthamma, and their two sons — Vishwanath and Vinay Kumar — are all each day wage staff.

Rajamma, 55, of Basavanagudi, misplaced her son Punith that day. She misplaced her husband 30 years in the past. “My two daughters are married. My only son is now missing. I have been working in agricultural fields in my village,” she says. Punith had bought a baggage service. She had saved the car until just lately hoping that her son would return at some point and use it. She says mournfully that she bought the car for a couple of thousand rupees to fulfill her each day bills.

The consultants who examined the components of human our bodies on the blast web site concluded that they belonged to 6 individuals. With the assistance of identification playing cards, garments, and different identification marks, they recognized 5 individuals. The identification of the sixth particular person remained elusive. Three others, Punith, Nagaraj, and Devendra, have been deemed “missing” from the spot at that time.

Later, via the court docket’s approval, the police collected blood samples of relations of those that have been “missing”. The samples have been despatched to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Bengaluru and the Division of Forensic Drugs and Toxicology on the Shivamogga Institute of Medical Sciences in Shivamogga. The consultants famous that the pattern of an unidentified physique matched with the pattern collected from Pranathi D., daughter of Devendra.

Three individuals — C. Devendra, R. Nagaraj, and Punith — have been declared ‘missing’ after the Hunasodu blast that occurred on January 21, 2021.
| Photograph Credit score:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Gowda, nevertheless, says, “The police all of a sudden informed the media that there was a DNA match, leaving us in shock. But, when I sought the reports of the laboratory, they did not oblige. Without verifying the documents, how can I believe their statement.”

Gowda has doubts over the police model for varied causes. He says the supplementary chargesheet referred to the decision particulars of the cellphone numbers his son possessed. “I am surprised at the mention of over 300 calls on my son’s phone on that day — January 21, 2021. I was with him for half of the day. He hardly received any calls when he was with me. However, the records furnished by the police show that he got calls without a break. It is impossible. I don’t believe the police claim that he died in the blast.”

Gowda and the relations of Nagaraj and Punith, who’re additionally lacking, have filed a writ petition within the Karnataka Excessive Courtroom looking for an inquiry into the case by the Central Bureau of Investigation. They imagine the three didn’t die within the blast however might have change into pawns within the palms of influential individuals, allegedly concerned within the case.

Chargesheet quashed

Whereas the three households haven’t any closure at a private degree, the destiny of the case and investigation is kind of actually again to sq. one.

Although the Shivamogga Rural Police registered the case following the blast, quickly after, the case was handed over to the Shivamogga Cyber Crime, Financial Offences and Narcotics (CEN) Police for investigation. The then IGP of Japanese Vary S. Ravi ordered the switch of the case to the CEN police. Ok.T. Gururaj, police inspector, performed the investigation and filed the chargesheet in April 2021 and later a supplementary chargesheet.

The police listed Sreeramulu, Manjunath Sai, P. Pruthviraja Sai, Ok. Vijaya Kumara, Mopuri Pavan, Chamma Javeed, Chelimanu Raju, Praveen Kumar, Manjunatha, B.V. Sudhakar, S.T. Kulkarni, Avinash Kulkarni, Mumtaz Ahmad, Rashid, Narasimha, and Devendra as accused within the case. Amongst them, Pavan, Javeed, Raju, Praveen Kumar, Manjunath, and Devendra are lifeless.Sreeramulu is the lorry proprietor, and Manjunath Sai, Pruthviraja, and Vijaya Kumara from Andhra Pradesh have been accused of supplying explosives via Praveen with out acquiring obligatory licence. They have been accused of endangering life by not following guidelines.

Sudhakar, a resident of Shivamogga, is the proprietor of BVS Stone Crusher, the place the incident occurred. S.T. Kulkarni and Avinash Kulkarni are the homeowners of the land, which that they had given on hire for the crushing unit. Mumtaz Ahmad was the author on the crusher unit, Rashid, a employee, and Narasimha was the supervisor.

The choice to switch the probe to the CEN police, nevertheless, has ultimately proved to be detrimental to the case, bringing the whole investigation again to sq. one.

The accused challenged the chargesheet within the Excessive Courtroom. The court docket, on September 20, 2023, quashed the proceedings citing that the CEN police had no jurisdiction within the first place to research the offences punishable underneath the provisions of the Explosives Substances Act. Consequently, the proceedings of the case on the third Further District and Periods Courtroom in Shivamogga have been additionally stopped. The court docket, on December 18, 2024, declared that the case was disposed of.

Nevertheless, the Excessive Courtroom, in its order acknowledged that the Shivamogga Rural police had the freedom to conduct the investigation and submit the ultimate report. When The Hindu contacted Shivamogga Superintendent of Police G.Ok. Mithun Kumar, he stated the case could be re-investigated and a contemporary chargesheet filed. Concerning the “missing” individuals case, he stated the probe is continuous.

No aid to affected residents

Eshwar Naik, a farmer from Kalluganguru whose home is situated near the blast web site, suffered enormous losses following the incident.
| Photograph Credit score:
Sathish G.T.

In the meantime, the residents of Hunasodu, Kalluganguru, Hanumanthapura, and neighbouring villages, whose homes have been broken throughout the blast, have repeatedly demanded aid from the federal government. They’ve staged protests exterior the Deputy Commissioner’s workplace a number of instances. Their demand, nevertheless, has remained unfulfilled.

Eshwar Naik, a farmer at Kalluganguru whose home is situated near the blast web site, suffered enormous losses following the incident. “We were the worst hit in the incident. The roof sheets, windowpanes, irrigation pumpset, and electronic gadgets were damaged. We spent more than ₹50,000 for repairs. However, the government did not pay any relief,” he says.

Because the incident, there was no exercise on the stone-crushing web site and it stays desolate, however that hardly brings any aid to households already devastated by the blast.

(Edited by Giridhar Narayan)