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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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
