Mumbai: Three badly burned during lab experiment at IIT-Bombay

The incident has raised concerns over safety precautions taken at the premier technology institute in Powai during experiments

Three people were injured at the Indian Institute Of Technology –Bombay (IIT-B) on Friday when a balloon they were filling with hydrogen, burst in a laboratory. The three sustained burns and are undergoing treatment at the National Burns Centre in Airoli. But the incident has raised concerns over safety precautions taken at the premier technology institute in Powai during experiments.

The incident occurred at around 12.30 pm in the laboratory of the Aerospace Engineering Department. While one of the three, Tushar Jadhav, 28, is a former student of the Aerospace Engineering faculty, he is currently a part-time staffer. The other two - Rajat Kumar, 22, and Prashant Singh, 22, both non-IITians - work for him at Manastu Space, a start-up he began.

According to the spokesperson of the institute, "A minor incident occurred outside the foyer of the aerospace department at IIT-Bombay. Tushar Jadhav, a former dual degree student of Aerospace Engineering (passed out in 2012) and two interns - Prashant Singh and Rajat Kumar - were filling hydrogen in balloons as part of an experiment. A balloon burst and the three suffered minor injuries. They were administered First Aid at the IIT hospital and later sent to the National Burns Centre at Airoli for further treatment. All three are fine and are under observation but will be discharged soon. The interns are not students of IIT- Bombay."

Sunil Keswani, director at the National Burns Centre said, "Jadhav and Singh have 16 per cent burns and inhalation injuries which can lead to lung problems. For four days they are going to be in the ICU under observation. Kumar has 10 per cent burns but no inhalation injury."

Concerns are being raised about the precautionary measures taken in the laboratory experiments. A senior professor said, "It is important to find if required precautionary measures were taken while these boys were conducting the experiment." The spokesperson said, "It is too early to comment on safety precautions during this experiment. An inquiry will be set up."

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