Builder, contractor booked for engineer’s death

Though initially lodged as a case of accidental death, an FIR was registered on Tuesday after a preliminary probe indicated the deceased engineer was not provided any safety gear, said police

MUMBAI: The Malad police have booked the developer and the contractor of a slum rehabilitation project for the death of a junior engineer at the worksite on July 7. Though initially lodged as a case of accidental death, an FIR was registered on Tuesday after a preliminary probe indicated the deceased engineer was not provided any safety gear, said police.

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According to the police, the slum rehabilitation project Shri Vaitri Vinayak Mangalam SRA Society in Malad West is being undertaken by Shri G Builders & Developers.

On July 7, while junior engineer Omkar Sankhe, 24, was inspecting the site, he fell off from the 10th floor and landed on the sixth floor slab. He was rushed to the Zenith hospital in Malad West where he succumbed to his injuries at 6.15pm the same day.

Subsequently, the deceased’s father, Vinod Harishchandra Sankhe, 64, submitted a complaint to the police, saying his son had been working at the site for nearly four months. On July 7, around 10am, he received a call saying his son was seriously injured after falling off the building, he said in the complaint.

On Tuesday, following preliminary investigation, police booked the developer, Shri G Builders & Developers, contractor Nimesh Desai, and others for not taking adequate safety measures and providing safety gear.

The accused have been booked under sections 106 (1) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 290 (negligent conduct concerning building works) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, said police.