EXCLUSIVE| Ghatkopar hoarding collapse: 7 warnings that were ignored

Controversial case sucks in a second IPS officer, with charge sheet saying Ravindra Shisve ignored 4 warnings, including one that said hoarding will collapse, and 3 objections

Ravindra Shisve, the railway commissioner of police, and his predecessor, Quaiser Khalid, are blaming each other for granting permission for the 120x140-foot illegal hoarding that collapsed on May 13, killing 17. Their accusatory statements to the Crime Branch are part of the 3,299-page charge sheet submitted to the court earlier this month. mid-day has examined documents to ascertain whether Khalid had allowed the hoarding and how Shisve allegedly failed to prevent its construction and removal.

The statements of both top officers raise serious questions about their conduct. Khalid has already been suspended by the home department for gross irregularities and administrative lapses while Shisve, who took charge as railway commissioner on December 19, 2022, was asked to provide an explanation, which he did, but the director general of police’s (DGP) office has not yet responded to it, as per his statement.

Khalid claims he only allowed a 200-sq-ft hoarding on November 22, 2022, a month before his last working day, with the condition that the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) pump hoarding size should not exceed 80 to 200 square feet. This claim is supported by documents as stated in his statement.

Questionable actions

It is alleged that Khalid approved a 120x140 (both sides) hoarding (totalling 36,600 square feet) on his last day in office, December 19, 2022, and signed the papers. Khalid claims that on his last day, Ego Media submitted an application to the GRP to increase the size of the hoarding.

Government  Railway Police ex-commissioner Quaiser Khalid and Khalid’s successor Ravindra Shisve

Since it was his last day, he did not make any policy decisions but signed the file after reviewing the documents. mid-day has examined these documents, which show that the file was put before Khalid for his approval, and he signed it without making any comments, unlike his previous orders where he wrote “approved” or “disapproved”. Sources close to Khalid claim that it was mandatory for him to sign the papers since the file was put before him, but he told his officers to present it to the new commissioner. However, no remarks were found on the files, which raises doubts.

A senior IPS officer said, “Once you sign files without any remarks, it means you have approved them.”

After Khalid left, the authorisation letter to increase the hoarding’s size was given to Ego Media on the same day. However, the letter only had the signature of Office Superintendent (OS) Hemant Nevkar, a senior clerk who is now retired, amd two junior clerks. Nevkar signed the letter, stating it was with the approval of the commissioner of police, but did not mention the commissioner’s name.

The site of the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse on May 16. Pic/Atul Kamble

In contrast, the authorisation for the hoarding granted to Ego Media on November 22, 2022, by Khalid had multiple signatures, with Khalid’s being the final one. According to Khalid, the file he signed was not the final approval. Even if it was considered approval, GRP officers were supposed to submit another file for the final letter of authorisation to be issued to Ego Media. The letter increasing the size of the hoarding should have gone to the commissioner for final authorisation before being issued to Ego Media. Instead, the authorisation letter given to EGO Media was signed by Nevkar with a note stating it was approved by the commissioner of railway police.

Allegations of manipulation

Khalid claims in his statement that, the dates on the files bearing his signature were manipulated, and there are overwrites on the clerk’s signatures. mid-day has reviewed these documents and observed the overwrites. It appears the dates, initially 26-12-2022 or 29-12-2022, were changed to 19-12-2022. Khalid in his statement to the Crime Branch has revealed this. 

Former GRP Commissioner Quaiser Khalid

According to him, this was done to make it look like everything happened on his last day and that the authorisation letter was given to Ego Media on the same day. He further claims there was manipulation in the outward diary of the GRP. According to his statement, entry no. 13965 was changed to 13965A, and between the empty spaces of 13964 and 13965A, another entry—13965—was created to show that the letter was handed over to Ego Media on the same day. Sources from the DGP office have confirmed that this has come to their knowledge and the matter is being probed.

Crime Branch sources said, “We don’t know about Khalid’s manipulation claims in his statement, as he has not provided any supporting documents. He is a suspect in the case, and his statements cannot be taken as gospel truth.”

Shisve’s alleged failures

After Shisve took over, the construction of the hoarding began. Between the start of construction and the collapse, four complaints were made to Shisve, claiming the hoarding was illegal and warning it might collapse. One complainant specifically mentioned a similar hoarding in Pune that had collapsed, killing five people. In his statement, Shisve claimed these complaints never reached him.

Additionally, two objections were raised by BPCL, and a notice from the BMC was sent to the GRP, stating the hoarding was illegal. The BMC notice, sent just 13 days before the hoarding collapsed, requested that if the GRP had granted permission, it should be revoked and the hoarding should be taken down. Despite these warnings, no action was initiated by Shisve.

According to documents accessed by mid-day, after Shisve took over, the first complaint and objection were raised by BPCL following the digging work started by EGO Media at the petrol pump, which violated PESO (Petroleum and Explosive Safety Guidelines). BPCL raised the first objection on December 14, 2022, (The said letter was put up on noting on December 21 after Khalid left) stating, “We would like to bring to your notice that commercial activity in PESO-licensed premises is not allowed without approvals. Also, we would like to state that the OC for the said retail outlet is under progress, and a site visit by the BMC officer is due. Therefore, you must immediately stop the work.” Despite this, the GRP did not act, leading BPCL to send another objection on January 14, 2023.

The BPCL objection was presented to Shisve, and he remarked, “Very shocking and surprising that this is put up before me on January 25, 2023, which is after 40 days.” He asked for an explanation from his office for the delay in five days.

After five days, when the matter was brought to his knowledge again, a clerk stated that he had come to his office with the file containing the objection but was told to look into other administrative work relating to the police welfare fund and recruitment and the clerk claimed that he got busy with these tasks.

A meeting was called on February 1, 2023, to discuss the BPCL objection. It was concluded there that it was meaningless as the land belongs to Railways, and BPCL was given permission to run only the pump; the hoarding part was with Railways and same should be communicated with the BPCL.

In his statement to the Crime Branch, Shisve said he had explained everything to the ADG (Admin) at the DGP office in a detailed response after an explanation was sought from him in August 2023. He responded on September 16, 2023, assuring them that his office would adhere to whatever decision the DGP office made. However, he further claimed that he did not receive any response before the hoarding collapsed. mid-day reached out to ADG admin Nikhil Gupta, but he refused to comment.

Shisve also declined to comment on the matter. However, sources close to him stated, “The allegations of overwriting are baseless. The Crime Branch is probing everything. The money trail and all relevant evidence are with the agency, which will establish who is responsible. The former commissioner has been suspended for gross irregularities, and nothing else is needed to prove accountability.”

November 22
Day in 2022 when hoarding was authorised

Dec 14
Day in 2022 when first objection was raised

Sessions court grants bail to architect arrested in Ghatkopar hoarding collapse case

In a major setback to the Mumbai Crime Branch, which investigating the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse case, Manoj Ramkrishna Sanghu, the Bombay Municipal Corporation-approved engineer and architect responsible for the structural stability of the hoarding, was granted bail of Rs 1 lakh by the sessions court on Wednesday. Opposing his bail, the Crime Branch argued that Sanghu had conspired with Ego Media director Bhavesh Bhinde, a key accused, and Janhvi Marathe, the firm’s former head, to issue a fraudulent structural stability report and could jeopardise the investigation if he were released.

The bail was granted by Additional Sessions Judge V M Pathade after imposing several conditions such as making it mandatory for Sanghu to appear before the investigating officer when required, not leave the country without court permission, avoid influencing prosecution witnesses and not tamper with evidence or engage in similar crimes.

According to the Crime Branch, Sanghu, 41, is accused of designing the hoarding and issuing the structural stability audit report without proper verification from the authorised agencies. The Crime Branch also claimed that Sanghu’s stability certificate permitted a hoarding size of 40x40 feet, but he failed to address why the structure was illegally erected at 120x140 feet.

Sanghu was represented by advocate Devanand Manekar, who argued that his client had been falsely implicated and had no direct involvement in the crime. He stated, “It was Ego Media’s responsibility to submit the design to VJTI or another recognised institution for approval. The claims that Sanghu was on a monthly payroll are false. Bhinde was paying him in instalments due to financial constraints.”

Manekar further contended that Sanghu’s role was limited to issuing the structural stability audit report and that the hoarding collapsed due to extraordinary wind speed of 87 kmph. He emphasised that the construction was carried out by another party, with no involvement from Sanghu.

Public Prosecutor Iqbal Solkar objected to the bail, highlighting the seriousness of the incident, which resulted in 17 deaths. Solkar pointed out that VJTI reported flaws in Sanghu’s design, and the police had sent Sanghu’s architect certificates to Mumbai University for verification and its response is awaited.

Manekar told mid-day, “I argued before the court this was an act of God and my client cannot be held responsible as he was just doing his job by issuing a stability certificate. The hoarding was the largest in Asia and listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. 

What were the agencies concerned such as the BMC and GRP doing if the same was illegal?” 

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!