Mumbai hoarding collapse: Maharashtra government suspends IPS officer Quaiser Khalid

Mumbai hoarding collapse: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday suspended IPS officer Quaiser Khalid, who was serving as the head of the Government Railway Police, for allowing the collapse of a hoarding in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area without the permission of the office of the Director General of Police (DGP). On May 13, the collapse of a hoarding resulted in the death of 17 people and over 70 injuries. The hoarding collapsed on a petrol pump that day amid gusty winds and a dust storm.

The Maharashtra government had set up a commission under the leadership of Dilip Bhosle, former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, to investigate the collapse of the Mumbai hardware store.

So far, police have arrested Bhavesh Bhinde, director of Ego Media Private Limited, which constructed the building, his former employees Janhavi Marathe and Sagar Patil, and structural engineer Manoj Sanghu, who allegedly issued the stability certificate without detailed inspection.

BMC engineer Sunil Dalvi, posted in N district, was questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Mumbai Police.

An official said the Director General of Railway Police conducted an internal investigation into the incident and submitted the report to the Director General of Maharashtra, who in turn forwarded it to the state government.

According to investigations so far, the billboard is located on a land owned by the Government Railway Police. With the approval of the then Commissioner of Police of the Government Railway Police, Quaiser Khalid, Ego Media Private Limited was given permission for ten years to erect it near a petrol station.

A report submitted by the Veermata Jijabai Institute of Technological Institute (VJTI) claimed that the foundation of the construction slab was inadequate and weak.

While any construction fence structure must withstand wind speeds of 158 kilometers per hour, the collapsed structure could only withstand wind speeds of 49 km/h, the VJTI report said. On the day of the incident, the wind speed was 87 km/h, the official added.

(With agency contributions)