“Shiv Sena’s Shitap Brought My Ghatkopar Building Down, Jail Him”

At least 17 people have died in the building collapse in Mumbai.

On Tuesday, a housing society in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar collapsed, leaving at least 17 people dead and several others severely affected.

According to residents of the Siddhi-Sai Cooperative Housing Society, the pillars of the building weakened due to renovation work of a nursing home on the ground floor, owned by Shiv Sena worker Sunil Shitap, leading to the collapse.

A distressed resident of the society, Binita Ramchandani took to Facebook to show live visuals of the debris where her home once used to be.

Appealing to people through a live video, Ramchandani said she deserves justice and wants people to support her in putting Shitap behind bars.

Shitap has been booked under IPC sections 304 (II) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others).

Till 9 pm on Tuesday night, 23 people were pulled out, of whom 12 were declared dead while 11 injured were admitted to hospitals. Five more people were declared dead on Wednesday.

The BMC made temporary accommodation arrangements for the affected people and the survivors in three nearby municipal schools. However, survivors preferred to stay at their relatives' homes.

Speaking to The Hindu, Ramchandani, who now lives in Hyderabad, said she had lived in her parents’ Ghatkopar home since she was three. She added that her father had confronted Shitap, asking him not to touch the pillars as it was an old building.

[My dad] questioned him about permission from the BMC. He would answer saying we could do as we liked... [He] has challenged residents to act against him on many occasions saying he is connected to top BMC officials.

(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.)