New Delhi, Aug 20 (PTI) - The Delhi Police are examining forensic evidence, CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts, and technical findings to piece together the sequence of events and ascertain the cause of the fatal CNG station blast near Tikri Kalan Metro station. The blast, which occurred on Wednesday afternoon while CNG was being filled in a truck, resulted in the deaths of three employees of the CNG station - Manish (25), Brahmjeet (34), and Sunny (30) - and injured three others, Surjeet, Sanjay, and Vipin.
The investigation is also focusing on a preliminary finding by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) that the cylinder fitted in the truck was unauthorised. Police and forensic experts will independently examine the cylinder’s type, capacity, installation, certification, testing history, and compliance with prescribed safety standards to determine whether it had any connection with the explosion.
The probe will also assess whether the intensity and nature of the damage are consistent with a cylinder failure or indicate that leaked CNG accumulated and ignited. The condition of the station’s pressure gauges and other safety systems is under scrutiny, with investigators examining whether the pressure-measuring equipment was functioning properly and if there was any failure in the system that could have allowed CNG to continue entering the cylinder beyond the prescribed limit.
Additionally, maintenance, inspection, and calibration records of the station’s pipes, nozzles, valves, connections, and pressure systems will be examined. Police are also verifying a claim that a leakage had been reported in the station’s pipeline around 20 days before the incident, and will establish the location of the reported leakage, the repairs carried out, and whether the pipeline was inspected after the repair.
The investigation will further determine whether any gas leakage at the time of the blast originated from the truck’s cylinder or the station’s pipeline. Preliminary investigation indicates that the truck was authorised to carry only six CNG cylinders, but it appears that a few additional cylinders were perhaps fitted in the vehicle at the time of the incident, according to IGL, the capital’s natural gas distributor.
The legitimacy of these additional cylinders, along with the exact cause of the incident, is currently under investigation by the relevant authorities. The fuel station where the blast took place was owned and operated by Aadhya Energies.
