Kolkata flyover collapse case: Construction company staff won’t face murder charge

Earlier, the murder and the attempt to murder charges, under which the ten officers of the construction firm IVRCL were previously arrested, were dropped from the chargesheet submitted at the Bankshall Court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Dr Madhumita Basu.

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Instead, the ten have been charged under IPC sections 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) in the over 2000-page chargesheet.

Besides IPC sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder), the ten IVRCL staff were also slapped with 120B (criminal conspiracy). This charge, too, has been dropped.

Asked about the change of sections in the chargesheet, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vishal Garg refused to comment, saying the matter was “sub-judice”.

IVRCL director (operations) Gopal Krishnamurthy, deputy general manager (project monitoring cell) S K Ratnam, assistant general manager Mallikaarjun Rao, assistant vice-president (PMC) Ranajit Bhattacharjee were arrested in connection with the March 31 collapse.

Also arrested were IVRCL’s assistant manager Debjyoti Majumdar, civil execution Niloy Roy, structure manager Pradip Kumar Saha, project manager Tanmoy Sil and senior engineers Shyamal Manna and Bidyut Manna.

Around 241 witnesses were questioned in connection with the framing of the chargesheet.

The special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe the collapse is learnt to be waiting for two reports – from Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) and National Test House. While the former is looking into the flyover’s design for any existing dispute, the latter is overseeing the quality of the material used in the construction of the flyover. “We are expecting the reports in another 15 days and after that, a supplementary charge sheet is likely to be filed,” an official said.

Sources in Lalbazar police said the investigation has thrown up “ample evidence of incompetence and negligence on the part of IVRCL”.

WITH PTI