Schaeffler India CEO Taken Into Custody After Fatal Gas Leak at Pune Plant

Schaeffler India's managing director and chief executive, Harsha Gopal Kadam, was taken into police custody on 19 October in connection with a factory accident at the company's Talegaon plant in Pune district that killed two workers in June, the company said in a regulatory filing disclosed on 20 October. The detention brings the head of the Indian subsidiary of German auto components maker Schaeffler into an investigation that until now had focused on site practices and contractor roles.

The accident occurred on 9 June 2026 at around 12.30 pm, when carbon dioxide gas was suddenly discharged while old cylinders in the plant's fire suppression system were being replaced. Two workers, Vaibhav Bhausaheb Thorat, 24, and Gaurishankar Rameshbhai Sharma, 38, died, and three others were injured. The deceased were employed by a service provider to the company, according to the filing.

Safety Lapses Under Scrutiny

A report by the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health identified several alleged lapses at the site. Work in the heat-treatment pit was carried out without permission from the office of the deputy director of the directorate, the area lacked adequate ventilation and an emergency exit, and trained personnel and personal protective equipment were not deployed, according to the findings cited by the police. No rescue team was kept ready, the furnace plant was not shut down, and all 14 carbon dioxide cylinders were kept at the site together, although procedures require them to be replaced one at a time. Eight had already been changed.

The police registered a case in July against six people, including company officials and representatives of contractors involved in maintaining the fire suppression system. Shweta Khedkar, deputy commissioner of police for zone 4, said the accused had been detained and was later hospitalized for a blood pressure related issue, with a report submitted in court and further procedure under way. The allegations do not by themselves establish criminal liability.

Schaeffler India said Kadam was taken into custody by the Talegaon MIDC police station under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, on the grounds that he is considered the occupier of the factory premises under applicable law. The company said it and its officers have cooperated with the investigation and will continue to do so, that it has complied with applicable laws, and that it is evaluating the developments with its legal advisers.

What It Means for Plant Workforces

The company said senior management continues to oversee daily operations and that business activities remain unaffected. The case puts attention on the routine maintenance tasks that sustain plant systems, from cylinder handling and confined space entry to permit approvals and rescue readiness, and on the responsibilities that Indian law places on those designated as occupiers of industrial sites. For workers in industrial safety management roles, the episode underlines how procedural discipline, documentation and supervision are tested after incidents rather than during audits.

It also raises questions for contractors who supply maintenance crews. The findings describe a gap between written procedures and conditions in a pit where gas could accumulate, a scenario common in plants with fire suppression systems and heat treatment equipment. Companies that rely on outside service providers for such work face scrutiny of how training, protective gear and emergency planning are verified before permits are issued.

What to Watch Next

Attention now turns to the court proceedings involving Kadam and the other accused, and to whether regulators tighten enforcement of permit requirements for basement and pit work. The company's filings on the case and any findings from the safety directorate's report will be watched by plant operators and contractors across the auto components supply chain, where fire suppression maintenance is a recurring task. Whether the detention leads to changes in how factory occupier liability is applied in practice is likely to shape safety planning at manufacturing sites in the region.