Mumbai: One dead, three injured as parapet wall slab of metro rail line falls onto vehicles
Mumbai (PTI): One person died and three others were injured after a slab of the girder bridge of under-construction metro rail line 4 collapsed on a few vehicles in Mumbai's Mulund area on Saturday afternoon, police and civic officials said.
A slab of the parapet wall of the girder bridge fell near Johnson and Johnson factory on the arterial LBS Road some time after noon on an autorickshaw and a Skoda car, both of which were heavily damaged, they added.
A fire brigade official identified the deceased as Ramdhan Yadav and the injured as Rajkumar Indrajeet Yadav (45), Mahendra Pratap Yadav (52) and Deepa Ruhiya (40).
The condition of Rajkumar is critical and he is in an ICU in a nearby hospital, whereas Mahendra and Ruhiya are currently stable, the official added.
In a statement, the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority said a portion of the parapet segment fell at 12:15pm near pier 196 of metro line construction close to Mulund Fire Station onto a passing autorickshaw.
The Metro project team is at the site and is working on relief operations and securing the site in close co-ordination with BMC and disaster management authorities, the statement said, adding an investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the collapse.
Line 4 is an under-construction route from Wadala in south-central Mumbai to neighbouring Thane with a large section passing over the arterial LBS Road connecting areas like Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Bhandup, Mulund etc.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad slammed the state government over the incident and questioned whether the lives of Mumbai residents had "become so cheap".
In a post on X, she said authorities were more focused on publicity around infrastructure projects than ensuring public safety.
The Lok Sabha MP demanded accountability from authorities, raising concerns over alleged lapses in safety measures at the site, particularly given the heavy traffic movement in the area.
She also questioned whether quality and technical safety standards were being compromised in the push to complete metro works quickly, and said repeated announcements of inquiries after such incidents were not sufficient.
"While development is necessary, it should not come at the cost of citizens' lives," she said while calling for strict action against those responsible for the lapse.
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Karnataka: College student dies by suicide in Dharwad, 3 policemen suspended
Dharwad (Karnataka) (PTI): A college student allegedly died by suicide here, following which three policemen were suspended over allegations of harassment linked to his death by the victim's family.
Aditya Myageri, a BSc student at a private college here, was among 18 students detained by the Vidyagiri police on April 25 during an anti-drug drive, police said on Wednesday.
He hailed from Belur village in Bagalkot district, but was staying with his friends at a rented accommodation in Girinagar area of Dharwad city, police said.
Among the 18 students tested, Aditya was among the 10 who had tested negative for ganja consumption and was subsequently released.
Some of his roommates, however, tested positive.
According to police, Aditya's family alleged that despite testing negative, he was harassed by police. They also claimed some policemen demanded Rs 2,000 to settle the matter and threatened legal action if he failed to pay.
He had called his mother asking for money, but she could not arrange it immediately, the family claimed.
On Monday night, Aditya allegedly died by suicide by hanging from a ceiling fan at his rented accommodation, with his family alleging police harassment and pressure over demand for money drove him to the extreme step, a senior police officer said.
Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar told PTI that an unnatural death case has been registered at Vidyagiri police station. Three policemen have been suspended over the allegations, and further investigation is underway.
