The death toll in the St Peter & Paul Sea Foods Exports ammonia gas leak tragedy (June 21) in Kannigaipair near Periyapalayam in Tiruvallur district has risen to 15. More than 40 workers are undergoing treatment at various hospitals, while two remain on ventilatory support and nine are receiving nasal oxygen. While the BJP and Left parties have demanded ₹25 lakh compensation for the victims, citing negligence and calling for stronger worker protection measures.
Trade unions have flagged serious lapses in industrial safety, worker accommodation and basic amenities, stating that most of the workers are women from Odisha and Assam aged between 19 and 25, and that the living conditions of guest workers are poor.
Trade union leaders have held the factory management responsible for the deaths, pointing out that workers were provided accommodation within the factory premises itself and that the gas leak occurred while they were resting on a Sunday.
Another trade union leader said shrimp processing units generally do not fall under the Factories Act category as seafood processing is one of the industries listed in the First Schedule.
They said every factory must have an evacuation plan, fire prevention protocol and adequate safety measures, but alleged that these were either absent or not subjected to regular inspections to ensure compliance.
Penn Thozhilalar Sangam has urged the Tamil Nadu government to constitute a high-powered judicial inquiry into the mishap, alleging serious lapses in workplace safety and labour protection.
It submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister TVK Joseph Vijay, the Labour Department and the Directorate of Industrial Safety, seeking action on labour rights, regulatory oversight and the treatment of guest workers and tribal women workers.
The association sought the registration of criminal cases against the owners, managers and others responsible under provisions relating to culpable homicide, negligence and violations of labour and safety laws.
It also demanded the release of a detailed report on the incident, permission for an independent civil society fact-finding team to visit the site, and unrestricted access for trade unions, lawyers and labour rights groups to meet the workers. It said the tragedy was symptomatic of wider labour exploitation. The affected guest workers are from Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand.
CPI(M) Politburo member K. Balakrishnan and the North Chennai CPI have demanded ₹25 lakh compensation for the family of each deceased worker. In the incident, 83 workers were affected, while 40 remain under medical observation, including 38 women.
Meanwhile, Tiruvallur district police on June 26 arrested labour agent Suresh Prabhat (41) of Odisha for allegedly bringing minors with forged identity documents to show them as adults. Police had earlier arrested factory owners M. Joseph Jegan (49), M. Mohan (59) and factory manager R. Daniel (70). District authorities said the factory would be sealed after the stock was shifted from the premises and the remaining ammonia gas was removed.
Tamil Nadu BJP Chief Spokesperson Narayanan Tirupathy, in a post on X, said: “I strongly condemn the exploitative and illegal practices at St. Peter’s Paul Seafoods Exports Private Limited in Kannigaipair (Tiruvallur district), where workers — mostly belonging to vulnerable tribal migrant women from Odisha, Assam and Jharkhand — were reportedly paid a meagre ₹7,000–8,000 per month, far below Tamil Nadu’s notified minimum wages for factory and food processing work. This blatant violation of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, combined with credible reports of child labour in the unit, represents a shameful exploitation of human lives for profit in the seafood export industry.”
I strongly condemn the exploitative and illegal practices at St. Peter’s Paul Seafoods Exports Private Limited in Kannigaipair (Tiruvallur district), where workers — mostly belonging to Tribal vulnerable migrant women from Odisha, Assam, and Jharkhand — were reportedly paid a…
— Narayanan Thirupathy (@narayanantbjp) June 23, 2026
The Tamil Nadu BJP also questioned the status of the inquiry report submitted by the three-member expert panel and sought details of the action taken against the unit responsible for the accident.
விபத்துக்கு காரணமான அந்த ஆலை மீது எடுக்கப்பட்ட கடுமையான நடவடிக்கை என்ன?
மூன்று பேர் குழுவின் விசாரணையில் என்ன தெரிய வந்தது?
வெளிப்படைத்தன்மை தேவை முதல்வரே @TVKVijayHQ pic.twitter.com/hMmeFloQWC— BJP Tamilnadu (@BJP4TamilNadu) June 24, 2026
It is learnt that the panel has recommended the permanent closure of the unit responsible for the ammonia gas leak.
#JUSTIN | அம்மோனியா வாயுக் கசிவு ஏற்பட்ட நிறுவனத்தை நிரந்தரமாக மூட பரிந்துரை#Ammonialeak | #Ammonia | #TNGovt | #Tiruvallur pic.twitter.com/VKeKLHTnRt
— PttvOnlinenews (@PttvNewsX) June 25, 2026
In another post, the Tamil Nadu BJP questioned why the TVK government was hesitant to take stern action against the unit and condemned what it described as the government’s callous attitude and the continued dereliction of the management. It demanded justice for the families of the victims.
13 உயிர்கள் பலி! அமோனியா கசிவு விபத்தில் தொழிலாளர்கள் உயிரிழந்தும், சம்பந்தப்பட்ட தொழிற்சாலை மீது கடுமையான நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கத் தயங்குவது ஏன்? அரசின் மெத்தனமும், நிர்வாகத்தின் அலட்சியமும் தொடருவது கண்டிக்கத்தக்கது. பாதிக்கப்பட்ட குடும்பங்களுக்கு நீதி வேண்டும்! pic.twitter.com/HKzKbfrKvr
— BJP Tamilnadu (@BJP4TamilNadu) June 26, 2026
Critics have alleged that political parties and organisations which successfully campaigned for the closure of the Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi over pollution concerns are now maintaining silence because of the name of the unit, St Peter & Paul Sea Foods Exports.
It is also alleged that the unit is owned by a benami of former DMK minister Geetha Jeevan. Further allegations claim that CM Joseph Vijay, being from the same community, has shown a soft corner towards those associated with the unit.
