Overview

• The explosion at the unlicensed two-storey factory in Singhewala village on May 30 collapsed the building, causing at least five deaths and injuring around 30 migrant workers sleeping on-site.
• Owner Tarsem Singh and son Navraj Singh were arrested and charged under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Explosives Act and the Factories Act for culpable homicide and safety violations.
• Investigators found the unit operating without Explosives Rules, 2008 permission, storing large quantities of potash and employing minors as young as 10 in unsafe conditions.
• Most of the injured, mainly migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were treated at AIIMS Bathinda and Civil Hospital Badal, and families will receive state compensation.
• Forensic teams are probing the precise blast cause while political leaders demand a high-level inquiry into regulatory lapses and illegal operations.