Chhattisgarh: FIR filed against drone maker, firm says explosion in battery pack behind incident
May 04, 2023
Raigarh (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 4 : Police on Friday said an FIR has been registered against the manufacturer of the drone, which was involved in an explosion in Chhattisgarh on April 27.
The incident left four drone pilots with severe burns. They are currently undergoing treatment at the Burn unit of a Raipur hospital.
Speaking on the incident, Kharsia SHO Ashirwad Rahatgokar said, "Based on a complaint, we have registered an FIR in the case under sections 287, 308 and 337 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the company. More charges would be added as the investigation progresses."
Meanwhile, ideaForge, the drone manufacturer, issued a statement claiming that that the incident happened due to an explosion in the battery pack.
"The battery pack which was kept to charge exploded, not the drone. We would like to clarify that 3 out of the 4 members in the incident were hospitalised. The details of the incident are being ascertained at this stage. Our manufacturing facility is equipped with high-quality testing equipment and our UAVs undergo stringent quality checks before it is delivered to the customer," the company said in its statement.
It added, "While we are always cautious and inform all our clients on how to take care of their UAVs, in light of this incident, we will be reiterating and issuing additional SOPs for our customers. We have been in the industry for more than a decade and it's the first time an incident of this nature has been reported to us and is really unfortunate. As far as we are aware, there is no complaint lodged with DGCA."
SHO Rahatgokar told ANI, "Some people were here to carry out a survey. They checked into a lodge on April 27. But, 10-15 minutes after they put the drone on charge, a huge blast took place leaving four people severely injured and the room completely damaged. The four injured persons were rushed to a hospital and are currently being treated at the Burn unit."
He informed further that the four injured persons are still undergoing treatment at the Burn unit of a Raipur hospital.
