Factory Owner Among Five Arrested After Fatal Explosion Kills Four in Assam's Cachar

SILCHAR — Police have arrested five individuals, including a prominent factory owner, following a devastating industrial explosion that claimed the lives of four workers at an iron casting unit in Assam's Cachar district. The tragedy has sparked massive public outrage, leading to violent community protests and demands for the permanent closure of the facility.

The explosion tore through the newer unit of Kade Global Infrastructure LLP, a metal processing facility operating from a shared compound in the Pangram area under the Udharbond police station limits.

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, July 26, 2026 when a massive, deafening blast shattered the peace of the densely populated locality. The impact was so severe that it tore the building apart and left body parts scattered across a wide radius.

Four workers died on the spot. They have been identified as Kiran Munda (28), Appu Baraik (32), Shyamal Gour, and Sagar Nath, who was a native of Agartala, Tripura. Several other workers sustained injuries and were rushed to the Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) for treatment, while those with minor injuries were discharged after first aid. Preliminary findings from investigators indicate that the disaster was triggered by a severe LPG cylinder leak during the iron casting operations.

Following the incident, law enforcement moved swiftly to address severe safety lapses at the facility. Cachar district police tracked down one of the primary factory owners, Rakesh Kumar Surana, arresting him in Guwahati before transporting him back to Silchar for interrogation.

Alongside Surana, the police formally arrested the factory manager, Amir Chand Jahangir, and three other employees who were initially detained at the scene. All five individuals have been booked for gross industrial negligence and failing to maintain basic safety measures for workers. Cachar Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kumar Saikia confirmed that another director of the firm, currently located in Kolkata, has been ordered to appear before the investigating team immediately.

The fatal accident triggered an immediate backlash from local residents, who gathered outside the factory gates to block the entrance and demand the plant’s immediate, permanent shutdown. Protesters alleged that smaller, lower-intensity explosions had occurred at the unit previously but were quietly covered up by management.

The demonstration intensified as local MLA Rajdeep Goala, alongside Cachar Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar Gupta, arrived at the site to de-escalate the tension. Goala interacted with the bereaved families and distributed an ex gratia payment of ₹5 lakh each from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, alongside an immediate administrative assistance of ₹10,000 per family.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is personally monitoring the situation and has ordered a four-layer probe, consisting of a magisterial inquiry, a police investigation, a specialized audit by the district labor commissioner, and a forensic examination of the blast site. Authorities have vowed that strict legal action will be taken against anyone found accountable for the lapses, promising a broader review of safety compliance across similar industrial facilities throughout the state.