StatesDelhi
Chawri Bazar building collapse: toll rises to six, owner and three contractors arrested
Police say the three-storey building in Gali Sitara was being built illegally and was unsafe. Five of the dead are from Bihar, and the MCD has suspended two engineers.
Key points
- The death toll in the Chawri Bazar collapse has risen to six after more bodies were recovered.
- Police have arrested the building owner and three contractors.
- The MCD has suspended two engineers, a Junior Engineer and an Assistant Engineer.
The death toll in the Chawri Bazar building collapse has risen to six, with six bodies recovered so far, and police have arrested four people, including the owner of the building.
A three-storey building under construction in Gali Sitara, near Chawri Bazar Metro Station in Old Delhi, collapsed on Thursday, November 5. Police received the call at 9:50 am. Teams from Delhi Police, the NDRF, Delhi Fire Services and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) took part in the rescue. Two bodies were pulled out on Thursday, and one injured person was taken to hospital.
Who died
Five of the victims are from Bihar: four from Khagaria district and one from Saharsa. The sixth, Vipin Ram, lived in Fazilpur in Delhi.
Arrests and action
Police arrested building owner Saimullah, also known as Ayub, a Delhi resident. Three contractors, Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan, were picked up from Sirohi village in Faridabad. An FIR dated November 5 at Hauz Qazi police station names all four under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections including 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 290 (negligent construction or demolition).
Police said “the construction work was illegal, and the building was unsafe”. The MCD has suspended a Junior Engineer and an Assistant Engineer and registered an FIR against the contractor.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said efforts to reach people trapped under the debris would continue and that an investigation was under way. “Strict action will be taken against those responsible,” she said.