Mumbai Hoarding collapse: GRP officials accuse commissioner of coercion – India News

Two officials of the Government Railway Police (GRP), including the internal law enforcement officer, have accused the then GRP commissioner, Quaiser Khalid, of pressuring them to give a positive verdict on the billboard at Ghatkopar that collapsed on May 13, killing 17 people, according to a report by The Indian Express.

The statements of ACP GRP Shahaji Nikam and law enforcement official Hrushikesh Shirsat are part of the 3,299-page chargesheet filed by the Mumbai Police. Nikam, who signed the hoarding approval, alleged that Khalid threatened to transfer him to the control room if he gave a negative verdict. Nikam noted in writing that he signed the file on Khalid’s orders.

Khalid is said to have cited the opinions of a law firm and a retired judge, who stated that according to the railways Act, the land would come under the Railways, which reports to the Centre. This allowed the scale of hoarding to increase, which exempted it from BMC taxThe hoarder, Ego Media Private Limited, paid monthly rent to the GRP for welfare activities, as per the norms.

Shirsat alleged that Khalid questioned his expertise in comparison to the law firm and the retired judge, and instructed him to discard his initial report and go along with their opinions. The Crime Branch investigation revealed that the law firm was paid by Ego Media director Bhavesh Bhinde, not the GRP, for the report. The police noted that legal opinions should come from government departments, not private companies.

When contacted, Khalid, who has since been suspended, said that the Crime Branch should be focusing on the collapse of hoarding, not land ownership. He said that he had taken legal opinions to ensure compliance with the Indian Railways Act and denied concealing any information. Khalid argued that if the land was owned by the railways, it would generate more welfare funds as no BMC tax would be levied.

Nikam stated that he had written in the file in November 2022 that permission for hoarding the office should come from the DGP. He alleged that Khalid had admonished him for this and told him to sign the approval. Nikam eventually signed, noting that it was under Khalid’s directive. Khalid responded by claiming that the land belonged to the state government and that Nikam had not fully considered the contents of the file.

Khalid also alleged that the hoarding was constructed and rent was earned after he was transferred, attributing it to his successor, Ravindra Shisve. Documents show that six complaints, including two from BPCLwere received during Shisve’s tenure. Shisve wrote to the DGP’s office in April, proposing to regularize the hoarding of welfare funds post-facto, but the DGP’s office rejected this, terming it as non-compliance with the policy.

The Mumbai Police SIT chargesheet has named four persons, including Bhavesh Bhinde, the current owner of Ego Media, the former owner, an architect who gave the safety certificate and the person who built the billboard. The SIT has informed the court that the investigation is still ongoing and that additional chargesheet is likely.