Mumbai police book 9 for culpable homicide

Those booked include directors of the mall and directors of Privilege Healthcare Services Private Limited, which owns the hospital.

The Mumbai police have booked nine people for culpable homicide not amounting to murder a day after nine Covid-19 patients, mostly senior citizens, were killed in a fire at Sunrise Hospital located inside the Dreams Mall in Bhandup.

“They have been booked under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code,” said deputy police commissioner Chaitanya Siriprolu. (File Photo)

Those booked include directors of the mall and directors of Privilege Healthcare Services Private Limited, which owns the hospital. The mall directors include Rakesh Wadhwan and his son Sarang, promoters of Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), who are in jail in connection with the ₹6,670 crore Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank scam.

“They have been booked under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code,” said deputy police commissioner Chaitanya Siriprolu.

The fire started on first floor of the mall on Thursday night and soon spread to the third floor, which houses the hospital. Officials from the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) said the firefighting system, including sprinklers, were not functioning. A notice for non-compliance of fire safety norms was issued to the mall in November 2020, they added.

“It is not a case of negligence. There were serious lapses in terms of safety compliance. The biggest lapse is that the mall did not have fire permission. They have also violated the terms and conditions on the basis of which the BMC had given them a part NOC (no objection certificate). That is why we have booked the owners of the mall, hospital management, and the administrator, on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and are further investigating the case,” said deputy police commissioner Prashant Kadam.

“The hospital had obtained permission to run a nursing home on October 1, 2020. Since January 2021, the facility has been functioning as a Covid centre. The hospital is owned by Nikita Trehan and one George Putting Shery is the chief executive officer of the hospital,” he said.