Man killed, 3 injured as dilapidated roof collapses in Gurugram

Owner, caretaker booked for negligence; unsafe 40-year-old building evacuated after collapse triggered by recent rainfall.

A 30-year-old man died and at least three others, including a couple, were critically injured after the roof of a dilapidated building collapsed in Dundahera, Sector 21, late Friday following recent rainfall, police said on Saturday. The building owner and caretaker had been arrested for alleged negligence and later released on bail, they added.

Victims include a couple hit by falling debris; police arrest owner, caretaker as probe flags poor building condition. (PTI)

The deceased was identified as Satish Mali, 30, from Ratanua in the Aurangabad district of Bihar. The injured were his roommate Ravi Jha, 28, from Nasratpur in Sheikhpura; and two commuters, Rahul Kumar, 29, and his wife Kirti, 26, from Amhara in Banka, Bihar.

Police said Mali and Jha worked in a private firm in Udyog Vihar and had been living in a rented room on the second floor of the building for the past year. Rahul and Kirti were riding a motorcycle to their rented accommodation in the same locality when debris fell on them as they passed in front of the building.

All four were rushed to the civil hospital in Sector 10A, where doctors declared Mali dead, police said. Jha was later referred to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi with severe burn injuries on his upper body, including his head and face, they added. The couple sustained critical injuries and remain under treatment.

Victims include a couple hit by falling debris; police arrest owner, caretaker as probe flags poor building condition. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Shravan Mali, 26, the deceased’s elder brother, said his brother was resting on his bed while Jha was preparing dinner between 8.30pm and 8.45pm when the roof collapsed. “My brother was crushed by a large chunk of concrete while resting. Debris also hit the utensil Jha was using, and hot oil splashed on his face, causing severe burns,” he said.

Police said part of the roof also fell onto the narrow road, damaging parked vehicles and injuring the couple. Shravan Mali alleged that the building was in a dilapidated condition, and complaints had been made to the owner and caretaker. “There were cracks in the roof and walls, and water kept leaking during the recent rainfall, but no repairs were carried out,” he said.

Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said rescue teams and civil defence personnel reached the spot after an alert and pulled all four from the debris. “On the complaint of the deceased’s brother, an FIR was registered against owner Om Prakash, 58, and caretaker Rakesh Kumar, 37, under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 125 (act endangering life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Udyog Vihar police station,” he said. Both were arrested and later released on bail.

Police said the over 40-year-old building had around 20 rented rooms, each occupied by private firm workers paying ₹3,500. All occupants were evacuated on Saturday after Gurugram district administration officials deemed the structure unsafe. The body was handed over after the autopsy.

A senior district administration official said the building was found to be extremely unsafe for habitation during an inspection on Saturday. “Accordingly, orders were issued to vacate it immediately. The majority of occupants had left by Saturday morning after the roof collapse,” he added.