Report of Mazdoor Ekta Committee correspondent
On 14 May, a massive explosion at an illegally operated fireworks factory in Dewas district, Madhya Pradesh, killed eight workers. Several others were seriously injured. Some suffered up to 90% burns. Twenty-four workers were working there when the explosion occurred, and none of the company’s managers were present.
According to eyewitnesses, body parts were scattered throughout the factory. The explosion was so powerful that it shook the walls of houses in the surrounding area. Workers with fewer injuries said that they called 112 and sought police help. When the police arrived, most of the workers were in a state of panic.
Workers claim they are forced to work 12-hour days under a contractor for a salary of Rs. 15,000. They also allege that the factory’s operations are not inspected by authorities. The company lacks adequate fire safety measures. Workers from Bihar were called in under other pretexts and were forced to work 12-hour days.
The factory was located on AB Road Tonkala in Dewas. Locals say that the factory openly manufactured firecrackers using gunpowder, and safety standards were consistently ignored. Residents complained to the administration several times, but the administration failed to take any concrete action. There is considerable anger against the company in the villages surrounding the factory. They allege that the factory owner has close ties to the local MP and therefore enjoys political patronage.
In their greed for maximum profits, capitalist owners disregard workers’ safety and force them to work 12-hour days. Workers are forced to work like slaves, without minimum wages or social security. When any incident occurs within the company, it is the workers who are killed. Courts, the government, the administration, SDMs, the police, MPs, and MLAs all watch the exploitation and death of workers. Such incidents occur every day in some or the other part of India. In the capitalist system, workers’ lives have no value. Capitalist owners care only about their profits, and the government, administration, police, and courts are committed to ensuring their profits.