Published on: Jul 02, 2025 06:14 pm IST
According to a senior IOCL official, around 45,000–50,000 LPG cylinders are refilled at the plant every day and they are supplied to Kolkata and nearby areas.
A major disaster was averted on Tuesday evening at the Indian Oil Corporation Limited’s (IOCL) bottling plant in Budge Budge, South 24 Parganas near Kolkata, when protestors began releasing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from several cylinders amid a clash over wage-related issues.
“It could have been a disaster had anyone lit a matchstick. Protestors were pressing the nozzles of LPG cylinders to release the highly inflammable gas, which was spreading everywhere and we could smell it. People were carrying LPG cylinders on their shoulders and walking while releasing the LPG,” a police official who was present at the spot said.
According to a senior IOCL official, around 45,000–50,000 LPG cylinders are refilled at the plant every day and they are supplied to Kolkata and nearby areas.
A second official at the plant said the clash broke out between two groups of LPG transporters and their drivers over payment of wages.
“An incident took place on Tuesday evening near the IOCL plant in Budge Budge. IOCL workers were not involved. We have lodged a complaint with the police. The police are investigating,” said KM Thakur, chief general manager (LPG) of IOCL in West Bengal.
The violence, which erupted around 7:30pm and lasted for several hours, left at least five policemen injured. By Wednesday afternoon, the police had registered three FIRs and arrested over 90 individuals in connection with the incident, according to a senior official.
A video clip of the clash surfaced on social media on Wednesday where people could be seen releasing LPG from multiple cylinders. It was also shared by West Bengal BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, who is also the leader of the opposition in the state.
“The dangerous chaos in Budge Budge at the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd’s LPG Bottling Plant is a glaring example of the TMC’s syndicate culture spiraling out of control! The ruling party’s factions, in their greed to dominate loading-unloading operations, have pushed workers to the edge,” Adhikari wrote on X.
The agitators also went on a rampage during the clash and damaged several two-wheelers, police said.
“Adhikari has a vast experience in operating syndicates. Workers in a factory may be having certain demands. But the way protests were triggered at the IOCL plant was very dangerous. Police have taken immediate action. The administration is doing its job,” Debangshu Bhattacharya, TMC state spokesperson.