Schaeffler India CEO Harsha Kadam arrested over Pune gas leak that killed two workers

Schaeffler India Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Harsha Kadam has been arrested in connection with a gas leak at the engineering company's facility in Pune district in June that killed two workers, a police official said on Wednesday.

Kadam, the eighth person to be arrested in the case in which culpable homicide among other charges have been invoked, was taken into custody on October 19, said Vijayanand Patil, Inspector at the Talegaon MIDC police station under whose jurisdiction the incident took place.

"After taking the CEO into custody, we got a medical examination done, during which his blood pressure was found to be high. On the doctor's advice, he was referred to a hospital. We have submitted a report to the court, which directed us to produce him after his treatment," Patil told PTI.

Kadam is currently admitted in the hospital, and his production before the court will be decided based on the doctor's advice, the Inspector said.

The case pertains to an incident on June 9 at the company's facility in the Talegaon MIDC area, where two workers died due to a gas leak while carrying out maintenance work on a carbon dioxide (CO2)-based fire suppression system. Three other workers were hospitalised.

According to the police, the maintenance work involved replacing a cylinder in the fire suppression system on the ground floor of the company's premises. CO2 gas leaked during the operation, affecting five workers.

Patil said the work was being carried out without the necessary permissions from the relevant authorities.

A case was registered against the CEO and others under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections related to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing death by negligence, and acts endangering human life or safety.

Seven other accused in the case had already been arrested, and a chargesheet against them had been filed in a local court.

On the day of the incident, police had said three employees of a private contractor and two staffers of the engineering firm, operating in automotive, industrial, and aerospace sectors, were engaged in maintenance work when CO2 gas leaked from a fire extinguisher cylinder.

As per the company website, Schaeffler's state-of-the-art plant at Talegaon manufactures engine and transmission components for front accessory drive system, chain drive systems, valve train, shift systems and a range of needle roller bearings and elements.

The company is an Indian subsidiary of Germany-headquartered Schaeffler Group and is listed on the bourses.