Shitap Made My Home a Graveyard: Ghatkopar Survivors Seek Justice

Survivors of Mumbai building collapse recount their horrific ordeal while demanding justice for their loved ones.

BMC workers rummage through debris for belongings of former residents.

(Photo: The Quint)

Forty-six-year-old Riddhi Kalchandani was sitting in the living room of her fourth floor apartment with her husband and her son at about 10:30 am on Tuesday, when suddenly, she felt the floor under her feet drift away.

Before she knew it, she was covered under debris, barely realising that her home had just collapsed, and almost all her family members were trapped under the rubble, just as she was. Five hours later, rescue personnel pulled her out and rushed her to a nearby hospital. Riddhi is still unaware that her husband and 22-year-old son died in the collapse and were being cremated while she lay in the hospital.

Riddhi Kalchandani recovers at the hospital she was taken to soon after the collapse. (Photo: The Quint)

There was no warning, the building just collapsed. We were all trapped under the rubble and were being rescued one by one. So many are dead, I don’t even know how many. The person renovating his house on the ground floor should have told us to vacate our flats two to three days ago, then we would have left. I don’t know where my husband and son are. Please bring them to me. How will I live without them?

Riddhi Kalchandani, Survivor

As rescue operation wrapped up late on Tuesday night, 28 people were removed from under the debris of what was once the Siddhi Sai building. Seventeen people were declared dead after being taken to the hospital. Lives of 15 families living in four different floors of the building has changed forever.

Rajesh Doshi’s story is one of a miracle. Fifty-five-year-old Rajesh was alone at home when the building collapsed. By the time his son and wife reached home, rescue operations had begun. After waiting for six hours, Rajesh’s son suddenly received a call from his father. Rajesh’s wife Rita said that when her husband woke up, he was still clutching his mobile in his hand. Around 5 pm, when he finally received network, he called his son and told him that he was alive.

Springing into action right away, firefighters deployed sniffer dogs to spot Rajesh’s location. But rescuing him was no easy task.

Rajesh Doshi at the hospital he was taken to after the collapse.(Photo: The Quint)

“The wall had fallen on his leg and had to be cut away before he could be rescued” said his wife Rita. Supplies like water and glucose were sent to keep Rajesh hydrated. He was finally rescued around 2:30 am on Tuesday.

“I have received a new lease of life” was all Rajesh could say while talking to The Quint, as he now recovers at the hospital.

As residents of the ill-fated Siddhi Sai and it’s neighbouring buildings come to terms with their losses, society members are now demanding that the Government acts against those responsible. A preliminary investigation has suggested that the tragedy could have been avoided. The ground floor of Siddhi Sai housed a nursing home that was undergoing renovation. In a bid to make the structure more spacious, Sunil Shitap, a Shiv Sena worker who owned three flats on the ground floor, allegedly made structural changes by removing pillars from his property. This in turn, had weakened the entire building, causing it to come down like a pack of cards.

Journalist Binita Ramchandani rushed home from Hyderabad to her parents’ aid when she heard of the collapse. Her father had just walked about 10 metre away from home when the building came crashing down, with his wife still in it. While Binita’s mother was rescued and is now recovering at the hospital after sustaining injuries, her family now demands justice.

This is a case of murder. Today, I call my home a graveyard and I truly hold Sunil Shitap, who claimed to be a big Shiv Sena leader, responsible for this. Many people who were a part of my society are no more. The ones who remain are at the crematorium. I urge the people of India to stand with us and make sure we get justice. Today, it was us, but tomorrow, it can be you. Today, fortunately, my mother survived, but my neighbours were like family to me, and today I have lost more than 70 percent of my family.

Binita Ramchandani, Survivor’s Kin

Fifty-one-year-old Birendrakumar Singh had spent his life savings to buy a flat on the first floor of Siddhi Sai. While luckily, no one from his family were home during the incident, they are however, left with no possessions and a home loan worth Rs 33 lakh. That too, for a home that no longer exists.

Birendrakumar Singh stands next to the site that was once his home.(Photo: The Quint)

There were three flats that Shitap owned. He should be held responsible and everyone else responsible for this should be arrested. The contractor who was carrying out construction there should be taken into custody and questioned. He (Shitap ) always claimed that he had received permission from the BMC. If that is the case, then the BMC should make their stand clear and action should be taken

Birendrakumar Singh, Survivor

Recovered belongings of residents being kept aside to be handed over to them later.(Photo: The Quint)

Former residents of the Siddhi Sai building are now requesting the Maharashtra Government to help rebuild their lives, even as efforts continue to recover their belongings from the spot.

Meanwhile, the man they hold responsible for their tragedy, Sunil Shitap, has been booked for culpable homicide and has been remanded to judicial custody till 2 August.

(We all love to express ourselves, but how often do we do it in our mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL at [e-mail] or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)