Sinha, named as accused number two in the case, was taken into custody after an FIR was registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody.
Published Dec 28, 2025 | 10:01 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 28, 2025 | 10:01 PM
Aftermath of the Pashamylaram. blast; (Inset) MD Amit Raj Sinha
Synopsis: Nearly six months after the deadly blast at a Sigachi Industries factory in Telangana’s Pashamylaram killed 54 workers, police arrested the company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Amit Raj Sinha, on Saturday. The devastating blast, which took place at the Sigachi unit that produces microcrystalline cellulose powder, is one of the worst industrial accidents in recent memory in Telangana.
Telangana Police have arrested Amit Raj Sinha, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sigachi Industries Limited, in connection with the June 30 explosion at the company’s chemical manufacturing unit in Pashamylaram, Sangareddy district, which killed 54 workers and injured several others.
Sinha, named as accused number two in the case, was taken into custody on Saturday, 27 December after an FIR was registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody.
The case has been registered against six individuals, all associated with the pharmaceutical company. Investigators invoked Section 105 of the BNS, which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, along with Section 110 for attempt to commit culpable homicide and Section 117 for voluntarily causing grievous hurt.
BDL Bhanur Police had earlier booked the company’s management but made no arrests for several months.
The Telangana High Court, while hearing a public interest litigation last month, took serious note of the delay in fixing responsibility for the incident. A bench headed by Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh directed the investigating officer to submit the FIR, case diary, and a status report on the probe.
The devastating blast, which took place at the Sigachi unit that produces microcrystalline cellulose powder, a key binding agent used in tablets and capsules, is one of the worst industrial accidents in recent memory in Telangana.
Of the 54 workers who died, 46 bodies were identified, while eight missing workers were later presumed dead.
The incident was caused by the blast of a reactor, which led to a massive fire and the collapse of the building.
Eyewitnesses described the horrifying impact of the explosion at the industrial unit, saying the blast was so intense that workers were tossed into the air and thrown several metres away. The manufacturing unit collapsed under the force of the explosion, and the resulting fire quickly spread to adjoining buildings within the factory premises.
Several workers were reportedly near the reactor when it exploded. Many of the labourers employed at the unit were migrants from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and other States.
In an August counter-affidavit, the State government informed the court that Sigachi Industries had submitted a written undertaking to pay ₹1 crore as compensation to the family of each deceased worker, though no timeline for disbursement was specified.
In a disclosure to the BSE and the National Stock Exchange, Sigachi Industries confirmed that Sinha was remanded to judicial custody as part of the ongoing investigation. The company said Deputy Group CEO Lija Stephen Chacko would oversee operations during the interim period.
“We would like to inform all stakeholders that, in respect of the unfortunate fire incident, the police registered an FIR against our Managing Director and CEO, Amit Raj Sinha, and others under certain provisions of the BNS. As per procedure, he was presented before the appropriate court and has been remanded to judicial custody,” the company said in a statement.
(Edited by Dese Gowda with inputs from Sumit Jha)
