New Delhi, Nov 5 (PTI) Delhi Police has filed a 638-page chargesheet against six people, including the owners of a building and two paying guest (PG) operators, in connection with the September 6 Satya Niketan building collapse that killed seven people, including five students and two labourers, officials said on Thursday.
The chargesheet, filed before a court, names building owner Hariram Gupta, his wife Urmila Gupta, their son Mahesh Gupta, labour contractor Sanoj Kumar and PG operators Sudhanshu Lavnish Kumar and Shubham Tyagi as accused.
Police have examined 87 witnesses in the case and invoked charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rash and negligent acts endangering human life and negligence during repair or construction works, among other offences, according to the chargesheet.
The accused have been booked under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 125(a) (rash or negligent act endangering life), 3(5) (common intention), 290 (negligent conduct during repair or construction of a building), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 324(2) and 324(4) (mischief causing damage to property) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the investigation, Hariram Gupta was the caretaker and a direct beneficiary of the building, while his wife Urmila Gupta is the registered owner. Police found that payments related to the property were transferred to her bank account.
Their son Mahesh Gupta allegedly managed the affairs of the building and collected cash payments, while contractor Sanoj Kumar was the mason who was carrying out the work and allegedly demolished a wall at the property.
The remaining two accused, Sudhanshu Lavnish Kumar and Shubham Tyagi, were operating PG accommodations in the building, police said.
The building in Satya Niketan area, near University of Delhi’s South Campus, collapsed on September 6 while repair work and refilling of the basement were underway.
Five students and two labourers were killed, while several others were injured in the incident.
Tyagi, who was absconding after the incident, surrendered before Patiala House Court on September 11. He was subsequently remanded in police custody for questioning about the PG accommodations, its lease arrangements and the construction work being carried out at the property.
Investigators have also examined the role of the building owners, those involved in the repair work and the PG operators to establish whether structural alterations and negligence contributed to the collapse.
Police had earlier said the contractor had warned the building owner and PG operators about the structural safety of the property after a wall of a shop in the building was demolished.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi had suspended South Zone Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar and four engineers pending disciplinary proceedings following the incident. PTI SSJ ARB
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