NEW DELHI: Mayor of North Delhi Preeti Aggarwal was caught on camera, cautioning the officials from speaking against the firecracker factory, where fire broke out on Saturday, as it was registered with them.
A massive fire broke out at a firecracker unit in outer Delhi's Bawana industrial area killing 17 people and injuring two on Saturday evening.
Aggarwal, who visited the spot to take stock of the situation, was heard telling officials before talking to ANI, “Is factory ki license humare paas hai, isliye kuch nai bolna. (The license of this factory is with us, so we should not speak against it.)
However, she later called the video fake and demanded an apology from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for “spreading a lie”.
“The worst part amidst this entire painful incident is that a fabricated video has been made viral. I expect Arvind Kejriwal to apoligise to me for spreading this lie”, Aggarwal told ANI in the national capital.
The industrial area recorded three fires on Saturday - the first around 4 pm in a carpet manufacturing company in Sector 1, the second in the firecracker unit in Sector 5, and the third in Sector 3 at 7.30pm.
Immediately after the incident, the city police arrested Manoj Jain, the owner of the firecracker factory.
A probe revealed that the factory had "cold firecrackers", used in stage shows and Holi celebrations, said Rajneesh Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini).
Firecracker packages found at the site suggest the same, the official added.
Jain had rented the factory from January 1, the DCP said.
Seven of those killed have been identified as Baby Devi (40), Afshana (35), Sonam (23), Reeta (18), Nadeen (55), Rakho (65) and Dharma Devi (45), he said.
The fire had started in the storage unit on the ground floor of the two-storey building and ripped through the structure.
Of the 17 killed, ten were women. A man and woman were injured.
Police said an FIR had been registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible material. The maximum punishment under the sections is 10 years.
Jain was apprehended and questioned yesterday.
The other partner of Jain has been identified as Lalit Goel.
One of the injured labourers told police that the firecrackers used to be brought from outside and were only packed at the unit.
(With Inputs from PTI)