Mumbai Police on Saturday opposed the anticipatory bail pleas filed by two executives of a construction firm in connection with the collapse of a parapet segment on an under-construction metro rail line in Mulund, reported the PTI.
The incident took place on February 14, when a portion of a concrete parapet of Mumbai Metro Line 4 fell onto moving traffic, killing one person and seriously injuring three others.
Following the accident, police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, mischief causing damage, and acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention.
Alpesh Patel, managing partner, and Ganesh Gholap, technical director of Milan Road Buildtech LLP, approached a sessions court seeking pre-arrest bail, according to the PTI.
In their plea, filed through advocate Suvarna Vast, the executives claimed they had no direct involvement in on-site fieldwork and were falsely implicated, the news agency reported.
They argued that the site supervisor had instructed a welder not to touch the hooks of the unfinished precast parapet. According to them, the welder ignored these instructions, leading to the collapse, and later fled the scene.
The firm stated that its project director and senior staff rushed to assist victims and fully cooperated with investigators, as per the PTI.
Police cite safety responsibility
In its written reply, Mumbai Police said the two executives were responsible for ensuring proper safety measures at the construction site.
Police told the court that if granted bail, the applicants might not cooperate with the investigation. They also pointed out that although the duo were summoned on 16 February to appear with relevant documents, they failed to do so, suggesting they were evading the probe, reported the PTI.
Investigators said that the custodial interrogation was necessary to examine possible safety lapses in the project.
Alleged shortcut in construction
Police further claimed that officials from Milan Road Buildtech and DB Hill-LBG installed parapets without carrying out essential concreting work.
According to investigators, the accused were aware that bypassing standard procedures could cause heavy structures to collapse, yet they allegedly proceeded without informing safety authorities, the news agency reported.
Describing the case as serious, police said the incident had triggered public anger and could create law and order concerns.
Police also opposed the pre-arrest bail plea of project consultant T. Sai Suresh Kumar.
Next hearing on February 25
The matter is scheduled to be heard next on February 25.
The case has drawn attention to safety standards and accountability in large infrastructure projects across Mumbai, as per the PTI.
(with PTI inputs)
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