Mira Road crane collapse victim’s father moves HC saying builder must be booked

Aziz Khokar, 47, alleged that the police were protecting senior executives of the construction firm by booking low-level contractors and engineers

MUMBAI: Aziz Khokar, father of the 21-year-old man who was killed in a crane collapse incident in Mira Road on July 16, on Monday approached the Bombay High Court, saying the builder, JP Infra, must be named as an accused in the murder case registered at Kashigaon police station.

Aziz Khokar sat on a hunger strike in front of the Kashigaon police station for five days, demanding the builder be booked over his son’s death (HT)

Currently undergoing treatment at Cordis Criticare Hospital after five days of hunger strike in front of the police station seeking addition of the builder’s name in the FIR, Khokar said he approached the court as the police did not pay heed to his repeated requests.

The petition will come up for hearing on August 3.

As reported by HT earlier, 21-year-old Muzammil Khokar – a resident of JK Iris Housing Society in Mira Road – was killed on July 16, when a 100-feet crane crashed at an under-construction building inside the JP North Complex. Two others, including a woman and the crane operator, were injured, while 12 two-wheelers and four four-wheelers were damaged in the incident.

The Kashigaon police subsequently registered an FIR against the contractor, subcontractor, safety engineer and several others, but JP Infra, the builder, was not named in it.

Speaking with HT from the hospital, Aziz Khokar, 47, alleged that the police were protecting senior executives of the construction firm by booking low-level contractors and engineers.

“Why only the contractor? JP Infra is the main culprit. Residents of JK Iris had warned the builder several times about the danger of a 360-degree revolving crane in a crammed area but they did not pay attention,” Khokar alleged.

Asif Chowdhary, the deceased’s maternal uncle, said they filed the writ petition in the high court pursuant to the advice of their lawyer as the police had failed to book the builder.