Seven months sounds like ‘a very long time ago’, when it’s used in context of the loss of several innocent lives due to criminal neglect of duty by few.
Exactly seven months ago, one summer evening, that felt just like the evening before it, a girder from a flyover that was under construction fell down and crushed many vehicles. Many persons died. I wrote a detailed blog on the actual number of deaths, as against the numbers given by the government. In that blog I presented external evidence with claims:
Report that up to 50 persons were crushed to death including 1 Roadways bus, 1 minibus, 4 cars, 2 autos and bikes.
Report that more than 50 persons died.
Shows clearly the number of cars, few with people inside.
I also added details to the data government had given (https://rajnishmishravns.wordpress.com/2018/05/29/varanasi-flyover-collapse-15-may-2018-0540-pm-after-a-fortnight/).
The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh ordered proceedings for strict penal action against the following:
| S No | Name | Designation |
| 1 | Mr Rajan Mittal | MD, UP Bridge Corporation |
| 2 | Mr. Harish Chandra Tiwari | Chief Project Manager (Pratapgarh Distt.) |
| 3 | Mr. Kuljas Rai Sudan | Project Manager (Meerut Distt.) |
| 4 | Mr. Rajendra Singh | Assistant Engineer-Civil (Mirzapur Distt.) |
| 5 | Mr. Lal Chandra Singh | Engineer (Chandauli Distt.) |
| 6 | Mr. Rajesh Pal Singh | Junior Engineer- Civil/Safety (Ghazipur Distt.) |
| 7 | Mr. Genda Lal | The former Project Manager (Aligarh Distt.) |
On 28 July 2018 on the basis of the report sent by CBRI (Central Building Research Institute) that mentioned “engineering errors and irregularities in construction methodology” and also as other evidences pointed towards them, the Crime Branch of Police arrested all those in the list above, barring Mr Rajan Mittal. In addition to them, it also arrested Assistant Engineer (Mechanical Safety) Ramtapasya Singh Yadav (Lucknow) and Contractor Saheb Hussain (Siwan). The TOI report gives the details of charges:
IPC Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention); and Sections 3&4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
On 13 August 2018 their bail plea was rejected.
It’s been four months and two days since that day, and google could not find any report on any kind of development in the case. So, seven months and few hours later, the victims of that tragic(for them) mishap due to at least criminal negligence of duty on the part of those arrested have not received justice.
In the end let’s remember the victims once more. About their exact number, even TOI is not very sure, as it gives their number as 19 in July and 15 in its August report from which I have used data above. Whatever their official number is, have even they received the compensation promised? Is that all or the governments, both state and central, will come to the aid of their families in future too?
I think that media must start a tradition of following up cases, long after they stop being “hot” and lose the shock value they had when they were “news”.
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