Panvel taluka police have registered an FIR against a commercial officer of Litmus Organics Pvt Ltd and a Customs House Agent (CHA) over the death of a 51-year-old worker who suffered severe burns while collecting a sample from a hazardous chemical container at an Ashte Container Freight Station in Navi Mumbai’s Panvel taluka.
The FIR was registered on Wednesday following a complaint by the deceased worker’s son, Akshay Garkal, 28. The accused have been identified as Pranay Anil Rahate, 25, a commercial officer at Litmus Organics, and Ravindra Sopan Nanhe, 47, a Customs House Agent.
Panvel taluka police senior inspector Gajanan Ghadge said the case concerns the death of Bhagwat Vithoba Garkal, who lived with his family in Sector 5, Kamothe. Police have invoked provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to causing death by a rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide, acting rashly or negligently in a manner that endangers human life or personal safety, and joint criminal liability.
According to the police account reported by Times of India, the incident occurred around 4 pm on July 30 at the Ashte CFS in Kasalkhand, along the Savla-Rasayani Road. A rejected container carrying a hazardous chemical identified as “Saturated Acyclic Monocarboxylic Acid” had reportedly returned from abroad and was parked at the container freight station.
Police alleged that Rahate and Nanhe engaged Garkal to collect a sample from the container without informing him about the potential danger posed by the chemical. They also allegedly failed to provide protective equipment, including safety boots, a jacket, mask and gloves, for the sampling work.
While Garkal was collecting the sample, the chemical fell on him, causing severe burn injuries. He was taken to National Burns Hospital in Airoli, where doctors assessed that he had suffered burns over 55% to 60% of his body, according to the police. He died after 10 days of treatment, at around midnight on August 9.
The case places safety procedures at container freight stations and industrial logistics facilities under scrutiny. Such facilities handle imported and rejected chemical consignments alongside workers, transport operators, customs intermediaries and company representatives. The FIR alleges that basic information about the material and protective equipment were not provided before the sampling activity, but the police investigation will determine the specific responsibilities of each accused person.
The police action came after a two-month probe into the accidental death. The FIR records allegations against the two officials; their culpability will be determined through the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings. The supplied police account does not state whether the company or the CFS operator has issued a separate response.
The investigation is now expected to establish how the container was labelled and handled, who authorised the sampling, what safety instructions were issued, and whether the required protective equipment was available at the site.
