Alleged lapses in following standard operating procedures (SOPs), failure to ensure mandatory safety measures, and delays in rescue efforts have come to the fore after Schaeffler India CEO Harsha Kadam was taken into custody on Tuesday in connection with a June factory accident that killed two workers and injured three others.
The police investigation revealed that trained workers and experts were not deployed, personal protective equipment (PPE) was not provided, and no rescue team was kept ready for exigencies. The deceased were identified as Vaibhav Thorat and Gaurishankar Sharma. The area allegedly lacked adequate ventilation or an emergency exit. The furnace plant too wasn’t shut down, and adequate checks were not carried out to ensure that the work complied with prescribed SOPs. Later, he was facing a blood pressure-related issue. Hence, he was hospitalised and medical treatment is underway. However, all the cylinders were kept at the site simultaneously, in violation of SOPs that require cylinders to be replaced one at a time rather than keeping them all in one place. All these lapses were mentioned in a report made by the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health. The police also cited a lack of coordination that allegedly delayed rescue operations following the accident. Three others—Schaeffler fireman Srikrishna Kalipada Sahu, safety officer Narasing Patil, and Furnotech employee Pramod Jaiswar—sustained injuries. Initially an accidental death report (ADR) was filed at Talegaon MIDC police station.
The accident occurred on June 9, 2026, while workers were replacing old carbon dioxide (CO2) cylinders in a fire suppression system at the company’s facility. Shweta Khedkar, deputy commissioner of police (zone 4), said, “The accused was detained. A total of 14 carbon dioxide (CO₂) cylinders were to be replaced, eight of which had already been replaced. The accident occurred on June 9 at around 12.30 pm while workers were replacing old carbon dioxide cylinders in the plant’s fire suppression system, according to the FIR. The accident claimed the lives of Vaibhav Bhausaheb Thorat, 24; and Gaurishankar Rameshbhai Sharma, 38. After detailed investigation of the ADR, an FIR was filed at Talegaon MIDC police station on July 4 under sections 106(1), 125(B), 125(B), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Work was undertaken in a pit/basement without the requisite permission from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, according to the Pimpri-Chinchwad police. A report was accordingly submitted in court and further procedure is underway, according to Khedkar. Work was being carried out in the heat-treatment pit at Shafalar company without obtaining permission from the office of the deputy director, Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, according to the Pimpri-Chinchwad police.
