The city police have registered a case against the Factory Manager, Chief General Manager, General Manager and three other staff members of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) by charging them with negligence which led to the death of two MRPL workers, allegedly due to the leakage of hydrogen sulfide (H2S)gas, while on duty in the Oil Movement Area (OMS) on Saturday morning.
The six staff members against whom the case was booked were in charge of the OMS, according to police.
The police said Assistant Operation Officers P. Bijil Prasad, 35, of Kerala and Deep Chandra Bhartiya, 33, of Prayagraj, died after they inhaled H2S gas when they went over a tank in the OMS area to check a minor leakage of the gas on it.
In the complaint to Surathkal Police, Anita, wife of Bharatiya, said field operator P. Prasath checked the roof of FB29A tank around 5 a.m. on Saturday and reported to the OMS control room about a leak of H2S gas at the rooftop and a peacock lying dead over there.
Around 7 a.m., the OMS control room asked Prasad, who was on morning shift, to check the roof of the same tank. Prasad went to the roof to check. When there was no response from him on the walkie-talkie for nearly 30 minutes, Bharatiya and his colleague, Balbeer, went to check. Prasad was found lying unconscious on the rooftop, and immediately Bhartiya too collapsed there itself. Mr. Balbeer came down from the tank and called MRPL Fire and Emergency Services through the OMS control room for emergency rescue, the complaint said.
Meanwhile, another field operator, Vinayak Myageri, went to the rooftop for rescue. As he felt uncomfortable after smelling H2S, Myageri came down from the tank, she said.
The MRPL Fire services team arrived at the scene 30 minutes later, but without the necessary breathing apparatus. There was no alarm for H2S gas leakage, the complaint said.
The Fire Services and other MRPL personnel used the breathing apparatus sets available at the nearby department to bring down Prasad and Bharatiya. They were given first aid and shifted to a private hospital in Mukka, where they died. Myageri was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kuntikana in the city.
She accused Factory Manager and other officials of OMS of negligence and sought action.
The police registered her complaint under Sections 106 (causing death by negligence), 125(a) (act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 287 (Negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police said during the autopsy on Saturday, traces of H2S were found in the lungs of the two deceased persons. The police carried out a ‘spot mahazar’ on Sunday.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada, G. Santosh Kumar, said MRPL has already set up a high-level committee of Group General Managers for a detailed investigation of the incident. The district administration will look into the report of the committee and recommend necessary corrective actions, if needed, he said.
Published – July 13, 2025 07:57 pm IST