Silchar: Police on Monday arrested five people, including a director of Kade Global Infrastructure LLP, a day after an explosion at the company’s factory in Cachar district killed four workers, as residents protested, demanding the unit’s permanent closure.One of the factory owners, Rakesh Kumar Surana, was arrested in Guwahati by Cachar police and brought to Silchar for interrogation. Factory manager Amir Chand Jahangir and three other employees were also arrested. Another owner, currently in Kolkata, has been directed to appear before the investigating team. All five were produced before a Silchar court on Monday.The arrests came as protests resumed outside the factory at Pangram, where residents blocked the entry to the premises and raised slogans demanding an immediate shutdown, alleging that the unit posed a threat to people living in the densely populated locality.The protest intensified when local MLA Rajdeep Goala arrived to distribute govt compensation to the families of the victims. Demonstrators accused the authorities of ignoring repeated complaints about the factory’s operations and safety standards.The agitation ended around noon after Cachar SP Sanjeev Kumar Saikia assured protesters that a fair and comprehensive investigation was under way and that strict action would be taken against those found responsible.Earlier in the day, Goala visited families of the deceased workers and handed over Rs 5 lakh each from the chief minister’s relief fund. He also provided an additional Rs 10,000 to each bereaved family. Cachar DC Rahul Kumar Gupta, SP Saikia and other senior officials accompanied him.Interacting with residents, Goala said complaints regarding the factory’s impact on the neighbourhood had not reached him earlier and came to his notice only after Sunday’s tragedy. He said chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was personally monitoring the case.After inspecting the blast site, the MLA said a magistrate-level inquiry had been ordered by the state govt, while a forensic team would examine the factory to determine the exact cause of the explosion.“The chief minister has directed that nobody responsible for the accident should be spared,” Goala said.The blast ripped through the industrial unit on Sunday, killing four workers and injuring several others. The incident has intensified demands for accountability and renewed scrutiny of industrial units operating in residential areas.
