The chief executive officer of Bhilai Steel Plant has been divested of his duties and two senior officials suspended after 12 employees were killed in an explosion in a gas pipeline on Tuesday.

CEO M. Ravi was removed after Union steel minister Chaudhary Birender Singh flew down to Bhilai and held a meeting with the SAIL chairman and the steel secretary, sources said. SAIL owns the Bhilai plant in Chhattisgarh.

Ravi was earlier executive director at Visvesariya Iron and Steel. A metallurgical engineer who has had an earlier stint at Bhilai as head of the 2.6-million-tonne steel melting shop, Ravi is rated highly within the steel giant.

The removal of Ravi was made public by the steel ministry, not by SAIL, prompting speculation that the decision was more political than managerial.

Chhattisgarh is slated to go to the polls soon, and the death of a dozen employees in Bhilai could well have an impact on the Assembly elections in the twin towns of Raipur and Bhilai.

The death toll rose from nine as three employees succumbed to burn injuries on Wednesday. Ten employees are being treated in the burns ward of Bhilai Steel Plant Hospital and two employees are in the critical care unit of the hospital.

“The steel ministry is in the process of setting up an external committee of experts to probe the incident,” a statement issued by the ministry said.

The steel minister, who visited the injured at the hospital, announced a compensation of Rs 30 lakh for the family of each of the deceased, Rs 15 lakh each for those who have suffered grievous injuries and Rs 2 lakh each for those with minor injuries.