Panic gripped the city of Jaipur at about 7:37 pm on October 29, when the oil tanks of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) terminal at Sitapura Industrial area began to blow one after another. Massive fire broke out within moments and spread to the nearby factories. More than 200 people were injured and rushed to the Mahatma Gandhi, Star, and Sawai Maan Sing and other hospitals of the city. Till late night, only three people were declared dead, while the locals insisted that there must be more than a hundred people inside the oil depot, who are still missing.
Total 12 tanks containing 7000 kilolitres of petrol, 24000 kilolitres of diesel and 1000 kilolitres of kerosene, went on blowing one after another for three days. The traffic was stopped all around within 25 km of the place of incident. Adjacent villages and colonies within 5 km were evacuated and the police surrounded the entire area. The 25 mm thick oil tanks melted and collapsed like thin tin containers, then melted away like wax in more than 1500 ok temperature. The inferno rose so high that it was visible from more than five kilometers. The death toll, according to the official reports, was 12, while the local residents were sure that it must be far more than the stated.
However, on receiving the very first information, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) rushed to see the victims with its helping hands wide open. A team visited the SMS Hospital under the leadership of State President Engineer Muhammad Saleem. There was a number of persons injured being brought from the site of incident. The Jamaat team helped them in many ways.
Meanwhile, another team of Jamaat volunteers headed towards the IOC depot where they found many people fleeing in search of safety. While the injured were being carried away to the hospitals by ambulances and some public volunteers, they chose to carry people to safer places. Many a people had no choice where to go, hence they were brought to Pratap Nagar where the Jamaat opened a camp, with the help of Human Development Society, for these displaced people, most of whom were labourers working in the nearby factories.
First night, 70 people stayed in the camp where they were provided with food along with shelter and the injured among them with medical assistance. A joint delegation of JIH Rajasthan and Human Development Society, comprising Rajasthan State President of Jamaat Engineer Muhammad Saleem , Muhammad Nazimuddeen, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, Human Development Society President Shamsuddeen, Er. Rashid Husain, Iftikhar Ahmad, Hafiz Jamshed Ali and Nafees Ahmad, visited the site of incident and the adjacent colonies and convinced the people who were leaving their houses for safer places to remain in their houses till the administrative authorities tell them to do so. Mr. Saleem, in his statement given to a TV channel, appealed to people not to give in to the hoaxes and rumours, as the miscreants and thieves might take the advantage of vacant houses. The third day the news of prevalent thefts added to the misery of the people who had fled after the incident.
Second day, about 200 people came to the camp after announcement in Friday prayers. Third day this number came to about 300 which grew to 350 the fourth day. People took shelter in the camp till morning of the sixth day. On November 3, the Jamaat and the Society gave some rice and wheat flour along with Rs. 150 each to the remaining people, while they were leaving the camp to go to their respective employers. Jamaat’s Jaipur President Mr. Waqar Ahmad and Students Islamic Organisation’s Joint State Secretary Muhammad Shakir also visited the camp and met the victims.
Many organisations like PUCL Rajasthan and others as well as individuals helped the sufferers and provided eatables, medicine and monetary help. The five days camp indeed proved great help to the poor labourers who otherwise might have faced difficult times.