New Delhi: The owner Hariram Bansal, who was absconding in the case of collapse of PG building in Satya Niketan, Delhi, has been arrested by the police from Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. The police have been busy searching for him since the accident. For this, Delhi Police had formed 10 teams and apart from Delhi, possible targets in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were also being raided. The police had earlier also issued a lookout circular against him.
How did the police reach Bhiwadi?
Police got information about Hariram being in Bhiwadi, after which the team reached there and caught him. Earlier, continuous searches were going on at his possible locations. Different police teams included District Police and Special Staff personnel. Now after his arrest, he is being interrogated so that information can be obtained about the work going on in the building and its condition before the accident.
Which sections are imposed on Hariram?
An FIR has been registered against Hariram and others at South Campus police station. Police have registered a case under sections 105, 290 and 125 of the Indian Judicial Code. These include charges related to culpable homicide, negligence in repair or construction of a building and endangering the life or safety of people.
What caused the five-storey building to collapse?
This building of Satya Niketan was being used as a PG for students. Suddenly the building collapsed on Sunday afternoon. It has come to light that repair or renovation work was going on at the time of the accident. The police are now trying to find out what kind of work was being done there and whether any changes were made to the structure of the building during that time, which affected its strength. However, the final cause of the accident is still a matter of investigation.
How many people died in the accident?
The death toll in the accident has increased to seven. Rescue teams have pulled out 12 people from the debris. NDRF, Delhi Police, Fire Service and other agencies are engaged in relief and rescue work at the incident site. After the accident, another nearby building has also been found unsafe, due to which extra precautions have to be taken during the relief operation.
Now in which direction will the investigation go?
After the arrest of Hariram, the police will now ask him questions related to the maintenance of the building, PG operation and repair work. It will also be investigated whether necessary permissions and safety standards were followed before carrying out work in the building. Five MCD officials have already been suspended in this case. After the accident, the government has also talked about strictness on structural audit and safety certification of public use buildings including PG.
