Muradnagar roof collapse: Families place bodies on road, block way to press for demands; three officials arrested

Ghaziabad: Families of the victims of the roof collapse tragedy, which took place in Muradnagar, blocked the Delhi-Meerut Road for almost seven hours on Monday by

Ghaziabad: Families of the victims of the roof collapse tragedy, which took place in Muradnagar, blocked the Delhi-Meerut Road for almost seven hours on Monday by placing the dead bodies on the road, in order to press for their demand for hiked compensation . Their other demands include a government job for one member per family, free education for children of the deceased and strict action against the erring persons.

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The Ghaziabad police arrested three officials of the Muradnagar Nagar Palika in connection with the incident on Monday, who had been named in the FIR lodged after the incident. Officers said that the construction work had been assigned to Ajay Tyagi, a contractor who has also been named in the FIR, who is absconding since the incident. The Ghaziabad police on Monday also announced a reward of Rs 25,000 on his arrest.

“In connection with an FIR lodged into the incident on late Sunday, we have arrested Niharika Singh (executive-officer of Muradnagar Nagar Palika), Palika’s junior engineer CP Singh and a supervisor, Ashish Kumar,” said Iraj Raja, superintendent of police (rural), Ghaziabad.

“We have arrested three persons and five teams are conducting raids to nab the contractor. We have levied IPC sections based on the complaint and are investigating the case in detail. The FIR also names other persons and officials,” Kalanidhi Naithani, senior superintendent of police, Ghaziabad, told reporters at the protest site in Muradnagar.

As many as 24 persons had died when the roof of a concrete shed, about 40 feet in length, at the Ukhlarsi cremation ground collapsed, when a group of about 50-60 people were there to attend the funeral of a 65-year-old man. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to each of the families of the victims, and had sought a report from the divisional commissioner (Meerut) and the additional director general (Meerut zone).

The autopsy of the 24 victims went on till late Sunday, after which the bodies were handed over to the families.

Men, women and children from the victims’ families as well as from nearby localities staged the sit-in alongside six bodies at Delhi Meerut Road for seven hours before they finally lifted the blockade.

The families said that they narrated their plight before officials and also raised questions why their demands were not being accepted despite a major tragedy having occurred.

“Our entire family is shattered as I lost my grandson, who has left behind his sister, and I also lost my son-in-law who is now survived by his widowed wife and two minor children, aged four and six years. Both families are left without any earning member. It is now a question of survival of my daughter-in-law and her children,” said 70-year-old Ram Das.

Like Das, Iqbal Singh lost his son, Nitin Singh, 40, to the tragedy.

“He was in a private job in Delhi and I work in Delhi to sustain the family. Since the lockdown started my employer has been paying me just Rs 8,000 per month. I am now left with my son’s widowed wife and his two children, aged six and five years. Their entire future is ruined and I can hardly sustain their education,” Singh said.

The families said that they put forth several demands but officials continued with deliberations with state officials in Lucknow and UP cabinet minister Suresh Khanna, who was in Ghaziabad.

“We demanded Rs 20 lakh for the families of each of the deceased, government jobs to one of their family members, free education of their children and strict action against the erring persons. We kept reminding the officials but each time we went to them, they said that they were talking to state officials,” said Yogendra Singh, Nitin’s brother.

The blockade of the major road, an erstwhile national highway, disrupted traffic for seven hours.

During the protests, victim families continued to press for their demands before Anita C Meshram, divisional commissioner (Meerut), and Praveen Kumar, inspector general (Meerut range) who had come to Muradnagar.

“We gave assurance to the families that their demands will be considered with compassion and that all assistance will be made available for them. Three persons have already been arrested and teams are searching for the contractor,” the IG (Meerut range) said, without elaborating which demands of the victim families were finally met.

Khanna, on Monday evening, reached Muradnagar and met the victims’ families. The district administration later issued a statement in which it said that the minister gave assurance of compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the victim families and jobs based on qualification.

“An inquiry has been set up by the CM and once the report is received, others will be punished. Three persons have been sent to jail. We have given assurance for compensation of Rs 10 lakh and jobs (based on qualification). We will take strict action based on investigation and inquiry. The contractor will be arrested soon and there will be an exemplary punishment,” Khanna told reporters at Muradnagar.