The Delhi police on Wednesday invoked charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in northeast Delhi’s Harsh Vihar building collapse case that killed two persons, a senior police officer said after HT reported a crucial one-hour delay by the owner in alerting emergency services.
Deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Rahool Alwal told HT that Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita had been added to the first information report (FIR), which previously pressed charges for causing death due to negligence.
Police said the main contractor who was building the structure is on the run. The building owner, Manoj Kumar, who allegedly locked the gate and fled after the collapse, was arrested.
Police said the structure collapsed around 5:45 pm on Sunday at Milan Garden on Sewa Dham Road, an unauthorised colony. The owner’s son Khushwinder Kumar made the first PCR call only at 6:46 pm and local residents were allegedly misled into believing that no workers were trapped inside.
By the time the two men trapped under the debris were pulled out during an overnight rescue operation that continued into Monday morning, it was too late. The two were rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.
The deceased were identified as Chanderpal, 60, and his son Vijay Kumar, 33, residents of Gali No. 14 in Harsh Vihar. The two had taken up shuttering work at the building and were feared trapped after the structure came crashing down.
{{/usCountry}}The deceased were identified as Chanderpal, 60, and his son Vijay Kumar, 33, residents of Gali No. 14 in Harsh Vihar. The two had taken up shuttering work at the building and were feared trapped after the structure came crashing down.
{{/usCountry}}Witnesses and the victims’ family alleged that the response was delayed because the building gate was locked and the owner had told people that nobody was trapped inside.
Pramod Sharma, who runs a restaurant opposite the building, said the collapse occurred around 4.30pm-4.45pm while he was cooking. “Chanderpal ate at my shop around 1.30pm and went to the site. Around 4.30-4.45pm, the building collapsed. The police only came there about two hours later, and the rescue operation started after 9pm when the NDRF arrived,” he said.
Another resident, Bhola, 38, alleged that the owner or someone known to him locked the gate after the collapse. When residents gathered and asked whether anyone was trapped inside, the man said nobody was, he alleged.
“No one even entered the premises because it was locked. Also, the pieces of concrete were extremely heavy. No one could have lifted them,” Bhola said.
Residents who spoke to HT said they had not called the police.
The victims’ family also alleged that the delay cost the two men their lives. Vijay’s wife, Anita, said the family learnt about the collapse around 6pm through an acquaintance living in Milan Garden. Their 19-year-old son, Yash, received a call from a friend who had heard about the incident, following which Anita rushed to the site.
She said she tried calling her husband and father-in-law, but their phones were switched off.
“Locals told us that the owner had locked the gate and fled. He also told everyone that no one was trapped. It was because of him that my husband and father-in-law could not be rescued. This is not an accident, it’s a murder,” she alleged.
Anita said she also called the police after reaching the spot but could not recall the exact time. She alleged that rescue work did not begin until around 9pm, when an earthmover arrived.
A preliminary inspection of the building suggests the ground floor was an old structure, reportedly used as a godown, while the first floor was under construction, another officer said. Both portions collapsed.
“The ground-floor structure was very weak and did not have any beam. The inquiry revealed that the construction work had been underway for over a month. The lintel being installed was heavy, and the ground-floor structure could not take the load,” another officer aware of the investigation said.
Police are investigating the respective roles of the building owner and the contractor responsible for the construction work, including whether negligence in carrying out the work contributed to the collapse and the deaths. The search for the absconding contractor is underway.
The incident has once again raised concerns over structural safety, unauthorised construction and enforcement of building regulations in the Capital, following a series of fatal building collapses in recent months.