Kolkata Police say no attendance records were maintained at collapsed warehouse site
Kolkata, June 25 (IANS) Kolkata Police on Thursday said they were unable to ascertain the exact number of workers present at the under-construction warehouse in Taratala at the time of the collapse, as no attendance records had been maintained at the site.
According to the police, there was no workers’ register at the warehouse and, therefore, there is no accurate count of how many people might still be trapped under the rubble.
The roof of the under-construction warehouse in Taratala in south Kolkata collapsed on Wednesday afternoon. Around 40 workers are believed to have been trapped beneath the debris. Personnel from the Civil Defence, the Indian Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Fire Brigade, Kolkata Police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) have been continuing rescue operations on a war footing in search of the remaining missing workers. However, in the absence of a register at the site, officials have been unable to determine precisely how many people remain trapped.
The police registered a suo motu case in connection with the incident. A total of five people were named in the FIR. Among them, the body of the main contractor, Asghar Hussain, was recovered from the rubble on Thursday morning. The police have arrested the remaining four persons named in the FIR, along with another individual associated with the KMC.
Among those arrested is Mohammad Gulzar, the building supervisor of Ayan Traders.
The company was also involved in the construction of the warehouse roof. In addition, Shambhunath Behera, owner of Behera Brothers, the firm that had been constructing the warehouse after leasing the land from the Kolkata Port, has been arrested. The police have also arrested Kamal Samant, an iron-frame manufacturer, and Dibakar Bhandari, a labour supplier. Abdul Hamid, who allegedly acted as a broker for KMC design approvals, has also been taken into custody.
On Thursday afternoon, Kolkata Police Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Kunal Agarwal addressed a press conference at Lalbazar, the city police headquarters, to brief the media on the progress of the investigation. He said that 11 people had died in the incident and 19 others had sustained injuries and were undergoing treatment at SSKM Hospital.
The rescue operation continued despite inclement weather. However, efforts were hampered in the afternoon following a severe thunderstorm accompanied by torrential rain.
Meanwhile, police have learnt that Shambhunath’s wife is also one of the partners in his organisation. The arrested Gulzar and the deceased contractor, Asghar, had earlier been accused in several criminal cases. Gulzar had allegedly been involved in a clash in Ekbalpur. Apart from this, two cases had been registered against Asghar — one at South Port Police Station in 2013 and another relating to an alleged kidnapping at Ekbalpur Police Station.
The Additional Commissioner of Police said multiple teams were working on the Taratala case. A list of individuals who could be questioned had already been prepared. The police may also question those who were rescued alive from the site. Their mobile phones would be examined to determine whether any additional leads or names emerge during the investigation.
Lalbazar has already sought certain information and documents from the KMC regarding the Taratala incident. The role of municipal officials will also come under scrutiny as part of the investigation.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari blamed the former Trinamool government for the Taratala incident in the state Assembly. He claimed that the design of the collapsed warehouse also bore the signature of former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim and asserted that no one would be spared.
Accordingly, the police have expanded the scope of their investigation.
–IANS
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