2 babus named in fire probe supplementary chargesheet

MUMBAI: The NM Joshi Marg police, which is probing the December 2017 Kamala Mills fire, has filed a supplementary chargesheet against two Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)officials.  

The chargesheet states that the two accused, sub-engineer Dinesh Mahale and assistant divisional fire officer Sandip Shinde, had allegedly shown superficial demolition of illegal constructions at two restaurants in the mill compound that got gutted. Mahale and Shinde, who were arrested on March 1, were among the 11 persons arrested in connection to the fire that gutted down two pubs in Lower Parel’s Kamala Mills compound on December 29 last year.

Ahmed Pathan, senior police inspector of NM Joshi police station, said, “Over a month-and-a-half after a chargesheet was filed against the eleven accused on March 1, the supplementary chargesheet was filed a few days ago. The supplementary chargesheet names Mahale and Shinde, and holds them responsible for the illegal construction on the two restaurants — 1 Above and Mojo’s Bistro.”

Special public prosecutor Prakash Shetty said, “There were several irregularities and illegal construction that were carried out on the premises of the Kamala Mills Compound, which is owned by Ramesh Govani and Ravi Bhandari. The said premises was supposed to have an open sky terrace, but illegal construction was carried out. The BMC officials who were named in the supplementary chargesheet had shown a superficial demolition, whereas the accused did not demolish even a part of the two roof-top pubs.”

Mr Shetty added, “The accused had produced documents stating the superficial demolition, and on the basis of that, the chargesheet has mentioned their share of the crime.”

The police also filed a 2,700-page chargesheet in a local court against eleven persons, arrested earlier, under section 304 of the Indian Penal Code (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), and other sections.