Mumbai: Friends and relatives of Sanskruti Amin, the 22-year-old Jogeshwari resident who died on Wednesday after a concrete brick fell on her from an under-construction building in Meghwadi, Jogeshwari East, have started a campaign to bring those responsible for the tragedy, including the owners of the construction company, the site supervisor, workers, and municipal officers, to a criminal trial.
Candlelight Gathering Planned
A 'Justice for Sanskruti Amin' campaign has been started by the Billawar Association, an organisation representing the community to which Sanskruti, the only child of her parents, belonged. A candlelight gathering has been planned for Sunday morning at the accident site in memory of Sanskruti.
Tragic Incident At Construction Site
Sanskruti, who worked in a bank, had just stepped out for work when the brick from the 19th floor of the slum redevelopment project slipped over the edge and hit her as she was walking on the ground.
Residents of the area stated that, though pedestrians used the narrow passage below the building, the safety netting provided by the builder was flimsy and grossly inadequate to trap the brick as it fell.
"This is not an accident; it is criminal negligence. We will not stay silent. We will not forget. Sanskruti’s life mattered," said Uday Salian, vice chairman of the Jogeshwari unit of the Billawar Association.
Family’s Ordeal At Police Station
Friends of the Amin family said that to add to Sanskruti's parents' distress, Anil Amin, her father, who runs a catering service, had to remain at the police station till late at night to complete formalities, even as the Meghwadi police station delayed registering the FIR.
FIR Registered Against Construction Firm
Sudhakar Humbe, senior police inspector of Meghwadi police station, said that Shraddha Lifespaces, the company constructing the building, has been booked under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2024, for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and Section 3 (5) for common intent. There have been no arrests. "Investigations are going on," said Humbe, who added that the directors of the company are yet to be questioned.
BMC Orders Stop-Work Notice
The BMC has issued stop-work orders at the construction site. However, Sanskruti's family has asked why municipal officials have not been charged with negligence in ensuring safety at the construction site. They have questioned the silence of politicians and the police's reluctance to arrest the owners of the construction company.
Harish Amin, president of Billawar Association, said that police were reluctant to file an FIR on Wednesday night, insisting it was an accident.
"They registered a complaint under section 105 only after a crowd gathered at the police station. They asked us to settle the case with compensation. But we don't want money. We want the company owners to be jailed. The safety measures at the site were inadequate, and the space around the building was used as a passage. Another person can die in a similar incident. The construction industry has to take precautions to prevent such tragedies," said Amin.
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Builder Yet To Comment
This newspaper contacted Shraddha Lifespaces for a comment. A company representative promised to issue a statement, but did not respond before our printing deadline.
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