Boiler blast at Verka milk plant claims life of employee, injures four others

A boiler explosion at the Verka milk plant in Ludhiana late on Wednesday night has claimed the life of one employee and left four others seriously injured. The deceased, identified as 42-year-old Kunal Jain, was a permanent staff member employed as a boiler attendant (grade I) at the plant and a resident of Haibowal. His wife, who also works at the facility on a contractual basis, was not present during the incident.

The blast occurred during a late-night trial run of the plant’s boiler system, reportedly involving 450-kg cylinders. According to Sarabha Nagar SHO Aditya Sharma, the explosion originated from the boiler unit, injuring five individuals.

One of them, Kunal Jain, succumbed to his injuries shortly after being admitted to the DMCH. The other injured — Kaluwant Singh, Ajit Singh, Davinder Singh and Gurvinder Singh are undergoing treatment at the same facility.

Sharma said the police had initiated a probe into sequence of incidents leading to the blast, initially taking the incident as an accident. “Appropriate action would be taken as and when something unusual is observed,” he said.

Eyewitness accounts and statements from friends and family paint a grim picture of the circumstances leading to the incident. Kunal was off duty and attending a birthday celebration when he received an urgent call from the plant, asking him to check the boiler system. Despite it being his day off, he complied and headed to the facility.

His friend Sudhir Jain said: “We were all present at a birthday party when Kunal got a call from the milk plant. He went there and at 11 pm, we got information that he is dead.”

Daljeet Singh, General Manager, Verka milk plant, said Kunal came during the day and inspected the boiler as they were starting its operations and he was not called but himself came at night also to check the boiler as he was dedicated towards his work. A committee has been set up to verify the exact cause of the incident.

Another friend of the victim, Satbir Garg, expressed concern over the timing of the trial.

“Initially, he had refused to conduct the boiler trial at night and suggested doing it in the morning but then he went for the trial,” he said. Garg also confirmed that two of the injured were initially admitted to Raghunath Hospital before being shifted to the DMCH.

The blast occurred just a day after Vishwakarma Puja, a festival traditionally associated with machinery and engineering professions. It is believed that the trial was scheduled post-puja, possibly contributing to the urgency of the late-night operation.

Community members and plant employees are demanding a thorough probe and full support for Kunal’s family.

“The government must ensure accountability and extend all possible help to the bereaved family,” Garg added.

Later in the day, the family of the deceased employee staged a dharna outside the milk plant, demanding Rs 2 crore compensation, a higher-grade compensatory job and pension benefits. In response, a meeting was convened between family members and the General Manager to negotiate terms. At the time of filing the report, the meeting was still underway. Sarabha Nagar SHO Aditya Sharma confirmed that his family members had not yet recorded their statements for the FIR, citing ongoing discussions with the plant administration.