Surat Diamond Factory Poisoning Case

In April 2025, over 40 workers at a diamond processing factory in Surat, India, fell critically ill after drinking water from a contaminated cooler. Forensic tests identified a lethal organophosphate pesticide. Five workers, including Ramesh Patel and Sita Devi, died from acute poisoning. Investigators arrested former supervisor Vikram Singh, dismissed weeks earlier, and accomplice Mahesh Kumar. Police alleged Singh acquired the pesticide and infiltrated the facility to taint the water supply as revenge. The defense argued circumstantial evidence and alleged investigative lapses. The case, tried in Surat District Court, drew intense national scrutiny as a rare deliberate mass poisoning in an industrial setting.

In August 2026, the Surat District Court convicted Vikram Singh on five counts of murder and criminal conspiracy, sentencing him to life imprisonment without parole. Mahesh Kumar was convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to ten years. The court ordered substantial compensation to the families of the deceased and injured workers.

The central disputes revolved around whether the contamination was an intentional act of sabotage or an accidental cross-contamination, the admissibility and chain of custody of forensic evidence linking the accused to the pesticide purchase, and the extent of the factory management's criminal negligence in failing to secure the drinking water source.

The tragedy triggered nationwide safety audits of industrial water systems and stricter controls on pesticide sales. It ignited fierce public debate on the vulnerability of informal workers in India's diamond sector and led to the establishment of a dedicated factory security task force. Labor unions in Surat gained momentum, using the case to demand mandated surveillance and health protections across all gem-processing units.