Two months after electrician’s death in slab collapse police register FIR

Mumbai police have filed a case against multiple individuals after an electrician was killed by a collapsing slab due to ignored water leakage complaints.

Mumbai: Two months after a 36-year-old electrician lost his life when a slab came crashing down on him, the DB Marg police have registered a case against multiple individuals, including the building owner, caretakers, and a flat owner. The incident occurred at United Chambers, a four-storey Mhada building on Maulana Shaukat Ali Road, Grant Road, on the night of 3 October 2024.

Two months after electrician’s death in slab collapse police register FIR

The police stated that water leakage from a tank in a third-floor flat had been reported for a long time. This persistent leakage weakened the slab, leading to its eventual collapse. The flat owner has also been booked for the incident.

The collapse was catastrophic; the second-floor slab gave way, crashing onto the first floor, which in turn fell onto the ground floor. Sagar Shivaji Nikam, the 36-year-old electrician, was sleeping on the ground floor when he was trapped under the debris. Nikam, a resident of Khetwadi, would visit the building only to sleep. He sustained severe injuries and was rushed to JJ Hospital, where he was declared dead. The post-mortem report confirmed that he died due to traumatic asphyxia caused by compression of the chest.

United Chambers, a residential-cum-commercial building, had undergone repairs by Mhada 1.5 years prior and was not classified as a dangerous structure. However, residents lodged complaints about the water leakage well before the collapse. According to a police officer, “Statements from concerned individuals revealed that complaints about leakage in the third-floor flat had been ignored. The building owner, Mehru Tampal, and caretakers Ankit Patel and Khushru Umrikar, along with flat owners Salim Mussa, Siraj Mussa, and Rashida Mussa, neglected the issue.”

The DB Marg police have charged the accused under section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for causing death by negligence. Investigations are ongoing as the authorities seek to ensure accountability for this preventable tragedy.