Ahmedabad, July 18 — Fresh allegations have emerged against the operators of the firecracker manufacturing unit where nine people were killed in an explosion in Ahmedabad’s Ramol area on Saturday, with relatives of a victim claiming the business had been running for around 25 years, workers were recruited through debt, and a similar fatal blast at the same premises about 14 years ago failed to result in meaningful action.
Speaking to IANS at the blast site, Narendra Chunara, a resident of Rajiv Nagar Tekra in Ramol, alleged that the unit was operated by Mehul Dodiya and Ramila Dodiya.
He said he was nearby when the explosion occurred and recalled that his younger brother Vijay Chunara had died in a similar blast at the same factory in 2014.
“They were running an illegal factory. About 80 to 85 per cent of my brother’s body was burnt,” he alleged, adding that his brother, then a Class 8 student, succumbed to injuries a day later at Civil Hospital.
Chunara claimed financial hardship had forced his family to borrow Rs 20,000–25,000 from the operators, and when he stopped working there, they allegedly took his younger brother to work at the factory instead.
His wife Varsha made similar allegations, saying her brother‑in‑law was taken from home after school to work until the debt was cleared.
She alleged that workers were routinely recruited in this manner, forced to work until loans of Rs 25,000-30,000 were repaid. She further claimed that Mehul Dodiya was present at the factory before Saturday’s explosion and left shortly afterwards.
The couple alleged that no meaningful action was taken following the 2014 blast. Chunara said despite filing a police complaint, his family received no justice or compensation, claiming they were threatened at the police station.
Varsha added that the family had signed documents without understanding the legal process, saying matters were “settled by giving money.”
The latest explosion occurred on Saturday afternoon at a firecracker manufacturing and processing unit on Ramol‑Gatrad Road in Ahmedabad’s Mehmudpura area, killing nine people and injuring six others.
Police said preliminary findings indicate the blast occurred while firecrackers were being manufactured and that the unit was operating illegally.
A Forensic Science Laboratory team has examined the site, while the investigation into the cause of the explosion and the factory’s operations is continuing.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control and completed rescue operations, with the injured undergoing treatment at L.G. Hospital and Asarwa Civil Hospital.