Metro pillar collapse: Bengaluru police to act after getting report from IIT

BENGALURU: A week after the Metro pillar collapse incident, the police are likely to arrest as many as nine Metro employees after they receive a report from IIT experts on Tuesday. The family of the woman and child who died in the incident had demanded justice for their loss.

The incident, wherein the woman and her son, who were riding pillion along with her husband and daughter, were killed after an under-construction Metro pillar crashed on them at HBR Layout, had created huge public outrage and a  case was registered at Govindapura police station.

A IIT expert from Hyderabad inspecting the accident site last Friday.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) had suspended 3 engineers and some others officers following the incident. It also issued notices to the contractors, Nagarjuna Constructions Company (NCC).

Based on a complaint from Lohit, husband of late Tejaswini, the Govindapura police had registered an FIR against six officers including two NCC officials and two BMRCL officers. The police conducted a preliminary investigation and recorded statements of a few persons.

Two days after the incident, a team of IIT Professors from Hyderabad inspected the site last Friday and took photos of the pillar construction.

The police had earlier said that they will not arrest any official in the case until they get a scientific report on the cause for the mishap.

The NCC and BMRCL officers have told the police that there were no lapses from their side and there was no mistake in the construction method. They have taken all the necessary precautions during the construction and it is surprising how the pillar collapsed, they claimed. They also added that they have been working on Metro constructions for many years, during the questioning.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East division) Bhimashankar Guled said they are likely to to get the report from the IIT experts on Tuesday. Based on the findings of the experts, the Govindapura police will take further action, he added.