Kolkata flyover collapse: Another senior IVRCL official under police scanner

Kolkata: Another senior officer of the Hyderabad-based construction company IVRCL is under scanner of the Kolkata Police investigating the collapse of Vivekananda flyover last week killing 26 people and injuring around 89.

IVRCL assistant vice-president of Project Monitoring Cell (PMC) and administration of the Eastern Region, Ranajit Bhattacharjee, who had fallen sick and was hospitalised after March 31 collapse, was today discharged and was immediately taken to the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar.

"Today he has been discharged from the hospital and we have brought him in for questioning in connection with the collapse," a senior officer of Kolkata Police said adding if the IVRCL official's replies were "unsatisfactory" he could also be arrested.

Eight officers of IVRCL have been arrested under IPC sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) and others.

Sleuths have arrested Project Manager Tanmoy Sil and conducted a thorough search of IVRCL's Beadon Street office yesterday and have seized several documents.

During the probe into the role of arrested senior engineers of IVRCL Shyamal Manna and Bidyut Manna it was learnt that they were in-charge of construction of the portion of the flyover, which collapsed.

"Shyamal was in-charge of construction operations in the previous night and Bidyut overtook the charge next morning... Shyamal had a miraculous escape. When the flyover collapsed, he was standing on it. He managed by jumping from there and clinging on to a girder at the other end of the flyover and saved himself," the officer said.

Kolkata Police sources said labourers at the flyover site had warned Shyamal about some problems with bolts and had urged to stop work.

"But Shyamal spoke to somebody over phone and instructed the workers to carry on... We need to check this and who ordered the work to go on," an officer probing the mishap, said.

Meanwhile, a city court today ordered seven-day police custody of both Shyamal and Bidyut Manna till April 11.

The Police have registered a case against the construction firm and sealed its office in the city.