Morbi tragedy: Police to name Oreva chief as main accused in charge sheet
About a week ago, police approached a sessions court in Morbi that granted an arrest warrant for the businessman. A lookout notice has been issued to ensure that Patel does not flee the country, the officer said.
The police team investigating the collapse of the Morbi bridge on the Machchhu river in Gujarat on October 30 will name Jaysukh Patel, managing director of the Oreva Group, as the main accused in the tragedy that cost 135 lives, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday.
Patel has been evading arrest. Morbi-based Oreva Group, which makes home appliances, clocks and e-bikes, was given a contract by the Morbi municipality in March to repair, maintain and operate the British-era bridge for 15 years, and collect revenue from ticket sales.
“We are going to file a charge sheet in the matter before January 28, and are going to name Jaysukh Patel as the prime accused,” a police officer said, declining to be named. “An arrest warrant has been issued, but Patel has been evading arrest for more than a week now.”
Police have time and again called Patel for questioning, but he hasn’t turned up, he said. “We tried his residences and offices, reached out to his relatives, but he has been evading arrest,” the officer said.
About a week ago, police approached a sessions court in Morbi that granted an arrest warrant for the businessman. A lookout notice has been issued to ensure that Patel does not flee the country, the officer said.
The bridge, after undergoing repairs, was thrown open to the public on October 26, the Gujarati New Year, by Patel and his family members, without informing the Morbi municipality.
Patel has not been seen in public after the tragedy, nor has his company issued any statement regarding it.
On January 16, Patel moved an anticipatory bail plea in a Morbi sessions court, fearing arrest. On January 21, the court adjourned the hearing on the anticipatory bail application till February 1. The court of principal district and sessions judge PC Joshi deferred the hearing as the public prosecutor was absent.
The first information report filed by police at Morbi ‘B’ division police station on October 31 does not name Oreva and its promoters. It has shown “agencies responsible for maintenance and management of the hanging bridge” as the main accused, along with others whose names emerged during the course of investigation.
A government-appointed special investigation team had cited, among other things, several lapses on part of the Oreva Group in repairs, maintenance and operation of the footbridge.
A Forensic Science Laboratory report has revealed that rusty cables, broken anchor pins and loose bolts were among the lapses that were not addressed while renovating the suspension bridge.
Oreva Group did not hire any expert agency to assess the load-bearing capacity of the bridge before throwing it open to the public, it said.
Based on the FIR, police have arrested nine persons, including two ticket-booking clerks, three security guards, two Oreva group managers and two private contractors hired for the repair and renovation of the bridge. The state government has suspended Sandipsinh Zala, the then chief officer of the Morbi municipality, who signed the agreement with the Oreva Group.
The state government has also issued a show-cause notice to the Morbi municipality, asking why it should not be dissolved for failing to discharge its duties that led to the tragedy. Movement on the bridge was not regulated and several design faults were found in the bridge after renovation.
There was no restriction on the sale of tickets and the group had sold 3,165 tickets on October 30, the prosecution told the Gujarat high court during suo motu proceedings on the bridge collapse.
