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Kolkata Warehouse Collapse: Former Mayor's Aide Among 7 Charged
Confirmed
In Short: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kolkata police has filed a 2,000-page chargesheet before the Alipore court in connection with the June 24 Taratala warehouse collapse, naming seven accused.
According to the chargesheet, the collapse resulted from collective negligence among key stakeholders rather than an isolated error. The chargesheet was submitted within 87 days of the incident and builds its case on more than 70 witness statements, along with expert technical evaluations.
The chargesheet names Kalicharan Banerjee, the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, and Aminur Sheikh, a Sub Assistant Engineer of the KMC, among the accused.
The other five named in the chargesheet include warehouse owner and lessee Sambhunath Behera, structural engineer Kamal Samanta, and key project associates Syed MD Gulzar Hussain, Dibakar Bhandari, and Abdul Hamid.
The collapse occurred on Transport Depot Road in Taratala when a three-story under-construction warehouse suddenly collapsed, trapping numerous labourers inside.
Key findings in the filing state that substandard materials were used throughout the construction, critical structural safety guidelines were ignored, and execution deviated significantly from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s approved plan.
The Taratala police registered a case under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, attempt to commit culpable homicide, and criminal conspiracy following the collapse.
With the chargesheet submitted, court proceedings against the accused will commence shortly, according to an official.
Background
The Special Investigation Team of the Kolkata police has filed a 2,000-page chargesheet naming seven individuals in connection with the June 24 Taratala warehouse collapse.
What's confirmed
- According to the chargesheet, the collapse resulted from collective negligence among key stakeholders rather than an isolated error.
- With the chargesheet submitted, court proceedings against the accused will commence shortly, according to an official.
- The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kolkata police has filed a 2,000-page chargesheet before the Alipore court in connection with the June 24 Taratala warehouse collapse.
- Submitted within 87 days of the incident, the chargesheet names seven accused and builds its case on more than 70 witness statements, along with expert technical evaluations.
- The accident occurred on Transport Depot Road in Taratala when a three-story under-construction warehouse suddenly collapsed, trapping numerous labourers inside.
- Following the collapse, Taratala police registered a case under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, attempt to commit culpable homicide, and criminal conspiracy.
- Investigators digitally uploaded the chargesheet to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) portal before submitting physical copies to the court.
- Key findings in the filing state that substandard materials were used throughout the construction, critical structural safety guidelines were ignored, and execution deviated significantly from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s approved plan.
- The names mentioned as accused in the chargesheet include Kalicharan Banerjee, the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim and a Sub Assistant Engineer of the KMC, identified as Aminur Sheikh.
- The other five named in the chargesheet include warehouse owner and lessee Sambhunath Behera, structural engineer Kamal Samanta, alongside key project associates Syed MD Gulzar Hussain, Dibakar Bhandari, and Abdul Hamid.
What's still developing
- Career Start: Began her journalistic journey as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a news portal in Kolkata, providing a foundational understanding of media landscape and audience engagement.
- According to a PTI report, the central agency, in its chargesheet filed before a court, invoked charges related to illegal entry, stay and movement, but dropped the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), despite having arrested the accused in a terror conspiracy case on March 13.
- According to the chargesheet, the arrests were made not only to investigate the alleged larger conspiracy but also to determine whether the accused had links with insurgent groups operating in India's northeastern states.
- US national Matthew Aaron Van Dyke was arrested by the NIA at Kolkata airport, while Ukrainian nationals Petro Hurba, Taras Slyviak, and Ivan Sukmanovskyi were arrested at Lucknow airport on March 13.
- The chargesheet, filed before Special Judge Prashant Sharma, accuses the seven of the offences under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act.
- The chargesheet accuses the accused of offences under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, and invokes charges related to illegal entry, stay, and movement.