Service lift tragedy: Thane police FIR does not name any individual – Times of India

THANE: The police FIR filed on the construction site tragedy in Thane does not name any person or group as being responsible for the incident which resulted in the death of seven labourers on Sunday night. Kapurbawdi police have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the “lift contractor”, “labour contractor” and “others” for the deaths caused when a service lift crashed.
However, no specific names are mentioned in the complaint. The 40-storey building in which the incident took place is the ‘C’ tower of the proposed Runwal Eirene complex in the Balkum area of the city.
DCP Amarsingh Jadhav, when asked why individuals had not been identified in the complaint, said, “we have sought the documents of the building from the Thane Municipal Corporation. From this correspondence, we will get the details of the building and the concerned labour and lift contractor as well.” The FIR says the lift had developed technical problems over the past 2-3 months and was stopping briefly at intervals but was still being put to use.
The complainant in the FIR is a relative and fellow worker of some of the victims, Dashrath Kumar. His complaint says the lift that crashed had, in the past three months, developed glitches 2-3 times. The FIR said an engineer and supervisor hired by the contractor was notified about it and it was repaired. Despite repairs, the lift would occasionally stop and start.
The case registered at Kapurbawdi police station has invoked section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (for causing hurt with act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (for causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others). The IPC section 304A pertaining to death caused by negligience has not been invoked.
The complaint indicates that the workers were migrants from Bihar. Dashrath Kumar said his brother, Manjesh Chaupal Das (32), who was among the victims, came to work on the site in 2019. He added that another of the victims was the personnel who operated the lift, Harun Shaikh (64).
A statement by the company promoting the building project, Dhruva Woollen Mills Pvt Ltd, on Monday sought to “reiterate” its “commitment” to the safety of the workers. “We ensure the highest standards of safety are adhered to. Rigorous steps and checks are conducted and certified by competent agencies that carry the reputation and confidence of many years of experience. The lift had been checked and certified as recently as 18th August 23 where due oiling, serving, lift room check-up, brake settings, etc were done and we received a satisfactory performance report. In addition, regular monthly maintenance of the lift has been carried out.”
The company said it was “working closely with the competent authorities to ascertain the nature and cause of the accident” and was committed to “offering full support” to the families of the deceased.