It is conceivable that the massive human tragedy that occurred in Petlawad town of Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday — claiming 89 lives and causing injuries to scores of people — could have been averted if only the administration was focused on governance and the police not lax about its duties. The only thing positive to emerge from the disaster is the fact that the state government has ordered a judicial inquiry without loss of time.
While we should wait for its findings to have the full set of facts, any observer could reasonably ask whether it is legal to store high-grade explosives — for the purpose of mining, it is being said at this stage, but we shall know more as the inquiry proceeds — in an ordinary house even if it has been converted into a store, and whether such a storage is permitted in a crowded area, the scene of the accident or crime, as the case may be.
It is somewhat brazen of the state police chief to call the unfortunate event an “accident” — as has been reported — even as the chief minister was announcing a judicial probe. It seems he has ruled out terrorism. However, the Centre has despatched a team of the National Investigation Agency. This suggests that all possibilities are being looked at. Even if the massive explosion was caused by mischief, not excluding terrorist planning, the pertinent question is whether the owner of the property where the explosives were stored was licensed to keep such hazardous materials on these particular premises. Or, had the local administration, including police, turned a blind eye in return for a consideration?
This is a key element that the judicial inquiry would be called upon to consider. It should be kept in view that even ordinary rent agreements do not permit a tenant to keep dangerous materials and inflammables in the rented premises, and this was apparently a case of large stocks of mining-grade explosives. This is a reason why, on the face of it, the tragic episode seems to arise from corruption.
Shady contractors of many types have had a field day in Madhya Pradesh. The Vyapam scam, with its tentacles spread far and wide, is of course only the most talked about instance of state failure in MP. But there have been other hair-raising stories as well. Not long ago, the sand mining mafia ensured that a young IPS officer was run over on the spot when he caught the crooks in the act. It is evident that those who bend and break laws with such ease are confident that they can get away because they have contacts in high places.
