E-Paper
Ludhiana: 1 dies, 3 hurt as parapet wall of building collapses
8-yr-old child among injured; the boy’s mother, who runs a tea shop at the building’s ground floor, filed a police complaint, after which the owner was booked
A labourer died and three others including an eight-year-old boy suffered injuries after the parapet wall of an old building collapsed at Gill Road near the cycle market late on Sunday.
After the wall collapsed, a group of labourers gathered at the spot and tried to pelt the investigating police officers with stones. The officers pacified them and lodged an FIR against the building owner, identified as Shiv Kumar of Muradpura.
The deceased has been been identified as Paras Nath, 46, of Uttar Pradesh. Two of those who were hurt are Romi Sharma and 8-year-old Amit Kumar. One of the injured is yet to be identified.
The FIR has been lodged based on the statement of Amit’s mother Janki Kumar, one of the tenants at the building, who runs a tea stall at the ground floor. The woman stated that Paras and Romi had come to her stall to have tea, where Amit was helping out. She added the parapet wall of the roof suddenly collapsed and her son and the three men got buried under the debris. The locals gathered there and initiated a rescue operation.
According to the complainant, the building was in a shoddy condition and water seeped through the walls whenever it rained. She alleged that she had asked the building owner to carry out repairs, but he ignored it.
ASI Gurjit Singh, in-charge at Millar Ganj police post, said Nath died on the spot, while the rest of the victims are undergoing treatment at different hospitals.
He added that they will arrest the accused soon.
A case has been registered under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of Indian Penal Code at Division Number 6 police station.
