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 now and again solely to listen to a pre-recorded message saying that the decision couldn’t be linked. 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 together 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 folks died within the incident, although they recognized 5 among the many victims initially. Three folks, together with Devendra who was on the website that fateful evening, had 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 mentioned the DNA check proved the sixth physique to be that of Devendra’s, Gowda refuses to consider 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 bought an autorickshaw for Devendra, who often labored for Praveen, who used to acquire explosives for stone-crushing models. In response to Gowda, Devendra would accumulate cash from these working thestone-crushing models 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 is just not clear as all these on the spot died or went lacking. It’s mentioned 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 several 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 big that many homes within the villages of Hunasodu and Kalluganguru suffered harm. Many borewells across the quarry space had been rendered defunct and tons of of digital devices went out of order. Folks dwelling close to Hunasodu — who reached the spot after seeing flames and thick waves of mud engulfing the locality — discovered elements of each the lorry and our bodies of individuals scattered throughout a big space. The police finally cordoned off the realm and known as in consultants to know 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
A file picture of authorities retrieving the stays of victims on the blast website at Hunasodu in Shivamogga taluk.| Photograph Credit score:
The following 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 folks died within the incident, they usually recognized 5 amongst them. They had been Mopuri Pavan, 29; Chamma Javeed, 28; Chelimanu Raju, 24; Manjunath, 35, and Praveen, 36. Three others — Devendra, Punith, and Nagaraj — had been declared “missing”.
Praveen, in response to 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 at any time when wanted. On that fateful day, Praveen took all of them to ship the products. Whereas Praveen and Manjunath had been discovered lifeless, the remaining three had 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 had been fishing at Gowrapura tank on the day when his father bought 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 every day wage employees.
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 provider. She had stored the car until not too long ago hoping that her son would return someday and use it. She says mournfully that she offered the car for a number of thousand rupees to satisfy her every day bills.
The consultants who examined the elements of human our bodies on the blast website concluded that they belonged to 6 folks. With the assistance of identification playing cards, garments, and different identification marks, they recognized 5 folks. The identification of the sixth individual remained elusive. Three others, Punith, Nagaraj, and Devendra, had been deemed “missing” from the spot at that time.
Later, via the court docket’s approval, the police collected blood samples of members of the family of those that had been “missing”. The samples had been despatched to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Bengaluru and the Division of Forensic Medication 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 — had been declared ‘missing’ after the Hunasodu blast that occurred on January 21, 2021.| Photograph Credit score:SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Gowda, nonetheless, 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 numerous causes. He says the supplementary chargesheet referred to the decision particulars of the telephone 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 members of the family 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 consider the three didn’t die within the blast however might have grow to be pawns within the fingers of influential folks, allegedly concerned within the case.
Chargesheet quashed
Whereas the three households don’t have any closure at a private stage, the destiny of the case and investigation is sort 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 Jap Vary S. Ravi ordered the switch of the case to the CEN police. Ok.T. Gururaj, police inspector, carried out 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 had been accused of supplying explosives via Praveen with out acquiring necessary licence. They had 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 house owners of the land, which they’d given on lease 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, nonetheless, has finally proved to be detrimental to the case, bringing your complete 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 analyze the offences punishable underneath the provisions of the Explosives Substances Act. Consequently, the proceedings of the case on the third Extra District and Periods Courtroom in Shivamogga had been additionally stopped. The court docket, on December 18, 2024, declared that the case was disposed of.
Nevertheless, the Excessive Courtroom, in its order said 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 mentioned the case could be re-investigated and a recent chargesheet filed. Concerning the “missing” individuals case, he mentioned the probe is continuous.
No reduction to affected residents
Eshwar Naik, a farmer from Kalluganguru whose home is situated near the blast website, suffered big losses following the incident.| Photograph Credit score:Sathish G.T.
In the meantime, the residents of Hunasodu, Kalluganguru, Hanumanthapura, and neighbouring villages, whose homes had been broken throughout the blast, have repeatedly demanded reduction from the federal government. They’ve staged protests exterior the Deputy Commissioner’s workplace a number of instances. Their demand, nonetheless, has remained unfulfilled.
Eshwar Naik, a farmer at Kalluganguru whose home is situated near the blast website, suffered big 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 website and it stays desolate, however that hardly brings any reduction to households already devastated by the blast.
(Edited by Giridhar Narayan)
Revealed – January 24, 2025 07:05 am IST
