Mumbai Foot Overbridge Collapse: Auditor Neeraj Kumar Desai Arrested For Negligence

Mumbai foot overbridge collapse: Neeraj Desai, the auditor who had conducted an audit of the bridge has been arrested by police.

Mumbai: Structural auditor named Neeraj Kumar Desai was on Monday arrested for “negligence on his part” in carrying out the structural audit for the foot overbridge which collapsed in Mumbai and left six people dead on March 15.

Neeraj Kumar Desai’s firm had reportedly carried out the structural audit of the bridge and declared it safe for use despite some corrosion in the structure, police said.

Other officials, including Additional Municipal Commissioner, BMC, Sanjay Darade were also interrogated by the police.

“We detained Desai Sunday after ascertaining negligence on his part and arrested him,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Abhishek Trimukhe told reporters here.

Police initially booked officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which was responsible for its maintenance, and the Central Railway (CR) under section 304-A (Causing death by negligence) of the IPC, but rescinded the move later. That section was removed and section 304-part II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC was imposed against Desai, police said.

At least six people were killed and 32 others injured after a portion of a foot over bridge collapsed outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) railway station in Mumbai on March 15. The deadly incident at one of the busiest stations in Mumbai took place at 7:30 PM, when there was a lot of rush on the overbridge. “The incident took place as the bridge was overloaded with commuters hurrying to their homes”, the BMC Disaster Control said. An eyewitness said the over-bridge was being used by pedestrians even as repair works were ongoing. Another eyewitness said most of the victims were walking on the overbridge on their way to the CST station when it collapsed.

(With agency inputs)