Shiv Sena leader detained in connection with Ghatkopar building collapse

The Mumbai Police on Tuesday detained Shiv Sena leader Sunil Shitap in connection with the collapse of a four-storey building in Mumbai's suburb Ghatkopar after it emerged that renovation work being carried out on the ground floor of the building belonged to the politician.

It is being suspected that the alleged illegal renovation on the ground floor led to the building's collapse.

Shitap has been booked for culpable homicide and is being questioned by the police.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who visited the Ghatkopar building collapse site, said that if the charges are proven then action would be taken against the culprit.

'Offence has been registered, the police is investigating the case. I have directed BMC commissioner to investigate and submit a report within 15 days,' he told



media.

'Prima facie, it is revealed that the accused was carrying out illegal renovation in the building. Investigation is underway,' news agency ANI quoted Mumbai's Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) as saying.

Nine people have died and 19 were extracted from the debris as a four-storey building at Damodar Park on Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg in Mumbai's Ghatkopar, Sai Darshan, collapsed on Tuesday morning.

The BMC's disaster management team received a call about the incident at around 10.43 am following which fire brigade and disaster management officials were rushed to the spot.

Locals had earlier alleged that the building collapsed due to renovation work being undertaken in a nursing home owned by Shiv Sena's Sunil Shitap. The nursing home was in the ground floor of the building.