Poonam Mall incident: Cops book owner of Co
| Date :18-Aug-2019 |
Staff Reporter:
LAKADGANJ Police on Saturday booked the owner of M/s Indo Pacific Software & Entertainment Limited, which was earlier running Poonam Mall on BOT basis in Wardhaman Nagar, and others concerned on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder after a watchman was killed and two others, including a middle-aged woman, were injured seriously in wall collapse.
Cops also booked them for causing hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety of others, mischief causing damage to the amount of Rs 50/- or upwards and acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention. Watchman Jaiprakash Ramnath Sharma (64), a resident of Plot No 6-A, Shanti Layout, Hiwri Nagar, was killed and Muktabai Rambhau Gajbhiye (50), a resident of Hiwri Nagar slums, and a youth had suffered serious injuries after a portion of rear wall and slab of Poonam Mall caved in last night. Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) had leased out the land of Poonam Mall to Indo Pacific Software & Entertainment Ltd on BOT basis. Inox was operating the movie theatres in the mall.
Later, Inox disassociated with it. Except a pizza joint, the entire mall was closed since past two years following disputes and non-payment of tax by the company. Walls and a portion of slab of the mall building were in a dilapidated condition. Suddenly, a portion of the slab and rear wall caved in around 11.45 pm on Friday. Watchman Jaiprakash Sharma, Muktabai Gajbhiye and a young man were trapped in the debris. Two vehicles in the parking lot of the mall were badly damaged. People residing nearby removed watchman Jaiprakash Sharma, Muktabai and the youth from the debris and rushed them to hospital. After examining Sharma, doctors declared him dead. On complaint lodged by Guddu (31), son of the deceased Sharma, Lakadganj Police registered an offence under Sections 304, 337, 427, 34 of the Indian Penal Code against owner of Indo Pacific company and others concerned.
Company lodges counter complaint against Maha Metro Rajendra Dhote, Supervisor of M/s Indo Pacific Software & Entertainment Limited, lodged a counter complaint with the police holding Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) responsible for digging pits adjacent to mall building for executing work of metro rail station. As the pit dug was 80x50 square metre in black cotton soil, it affected the building resulting in the tragedy, stated Dhote. The company blamed the Maha Metro officials for their negligence and urged police to initiate penal action against them. However, till filing of this report, no action was taken by the cops on Dhote’s complaint.
Not operating multiplex since Jan ’18: Inox Inox, the company that operated multiplex in Poonam Mall, Wardhaman Nagar, also issued a statement on Saturday and ‘put on record that the multiplex in the mall has not been operational since January 2018’. Inox statement also urged ‘all’ to refrain from addressing Poonam Mall as Inox Mall.