Jaipur cracker godown fire | 9 cops suspended for negligence

Nine police personnel, including the Station House Officer (SHO) of Kho Nagoriyan police station, have been suspended for alleged negligence in connection with a fire at an illegal firecracker factory in Jaipur that claimed eight lives on Tuesday. Jaipur Police Commissioner Sachin Mittal said on Wednesday that the suspensions were a result of a preliminary inquiry that revealed lapses in handling public safety matters. He emphasised that negligence in such cases would not be tolerated at any level. Those suspended include SHO Om Prakash Matwa, Head Constable Ashok, Constables Ramavatar, Dinesh, Asif, Harendra and Ashok. Earlier, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Ranjita Sharma had suspended ASI Amar Singh and Head Constable Pappu Ram following the incident.

Mittal has ordered a detailed investigation into the fire and entrusted the probe to Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ajay Singh. A committee has been formed to examine all aspects of the incident, including the roles of the involved officials and compliance with safety regulations. Action will be taken against those found responsible based on the inquiry report. The police commissioner has also directed all district police officers under the Jaipur Commissionerate to launch a special drive against illegally operated factories, warehouses, firecracker storage units and other hazardous establishments. He has instructed beat officers to conduct door-to-door verification to identify illegal storage of explosives and firecrackers.