Hinjewadi minibus fire: No unpaid dues of driver, says printing firm owner

The Pimpri Chinchwad police registered an FIR against Janardan Hambardikar 56 on Friday under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita BNS He has not yet been arrested as he is undergoing treatment for burnsThe police have charged the accused with causing deaths by setting the staff bus of a graphics printing firm on fire and trying to harm others who survived Further investigations are underway to determine whether he acted alone or if there were other factors involved in the incident the police saidDisputes with staffThe revelation that the minibus fire was a deliberate act of arson and not an accident sent shockwaves across Pune Four innocent lives were lost in the fire which was set by the bus driver Janardan in an act of revenge against his company Vyoma Graphics over unpaid dues and disputes with other employees The owner of Vyoma Graphics Nitesh Shah has denied that there were any pending dues of the accused driverFrequently changed versionsThe victims identified as Shankar Shinde Rajan Chavan Gurudas Lokare and Subhash Bhosale were among the 14 employees travelling from Warje to Hinjewadi when the incident happened The investigation took a turn after inconsistencies in Hambardikarrsquos statements raised suspicionsJanardan Hambardikar the accused driver PICXsirajnooraniSenior Police Inspector Kanhaiya Thorat and SubInspector Datta Kale conducted detailed interrogations during which Hambardikar frequently changed his versions of events Further technical analysis and CCTV footage provided crucial evidence ultimately leading to his confessionlsquoDid not intend to killrsquoHambardikar admitted that he had planned the incident in revenge against his companyrsquos management alleging mistreatment and unpaid wages However he claimed he never intended to kill anyone the police said Thorat said ldquoAccording to Hambardikar his original plan was to create trouble for the company but the fire spiralled out of control leading to the tragic deathsrdquoThe police added that the survivorsrsquo accounts and CCTV footage raised additional questions particularly about why the rear emergency exit was not opened which could have allowed more passengers to escape Officials from the Regional Transport Office RTO later confirmed that the victims had attempted to unlock the emergency door incorrectly causing it to jamThe injured employees have been admitted to Surya Hospital and Ruby Hall Clinic Hinjewadi Dr Shivpal Rathod consultant general surgery Ruby Hall Clinic Hinjewadi said ldquoThere are three patients currently under treatment Two of them Sandeep Shinde and the accused Janardhan are in the ICU with first and seconddegree burns Shinde has burns on his face and bodyrdquoThe official added that accused Janardhan has first and seconddegree burns on his lower limb Vishwanath who is in general ward with 5per centndash10 per cent burns is recovering well and is tentatively scheduled for discharge in two daysFamilies demand strict actionThe families of the deceased have expressed outrage demanding strict action against Hambardikar They argue that if he had a grudge against the company he should have targeted the management instead of endangering innocent lives The incident has sparked widespread anger with calls for stricter safety measures in employee transport servicesOne of the relatives said that the innocents lost their lives and those whom the driver wanted to take revenge against escaped from the minibus Vyoma Graphics owner Nitesh Shah said ldquoWe are still in shock We are cooperating with the police for investigation We are with our employees and their families They are our extended family We are taking care of their medical issues They have been with us for decadesrdquo