CSMT bridge collapse: After assistant engineer, BMC executive engineer Anil Patil arrested

A day after the arrest of an assistant engineer, police arrested another civic official in connection with last month’s foot-over-bridge collapse outside CSMT station.

This is the third arrest made in the case and the second arrest of a BMC official since March 14, when the deck of the 40-year-old Himalaya bridge connecting the area near the Times of India building with the CSMT station collapsed during evening rush hours.

On Monday, police arrested assistant engineer S F Kakulte, working with the bridges department of the BMC. Prior to that, police had arrested structural auditor Neerajkumar Desai.

Yesterday, Anil Patil, an executive engineer of the civic body was placed under arrest.

“The accused Anil Patil was arrested by Azad Maidan police this evening. He worked with the bridges department of the civic body between September 2014 and December 2018,” said DCP, Zone I, Abhishek Trimukhe.

Patil has been booked under section 304A (Causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The DCP said both the engineers were aware that such incidents (like bridge collapse) might happen but acted negligently.

“During our investigation, it came to light that they had knowledge of their job and due to their negligence the incident took place,” the DCP said.

Patil will be produced before the court today. Meanwhile, Kakulte, who has been booked under IPC section 304A (causing death by negligence), has been remanded in police custody till April 5.

A preliminary report into the collapse submitted by the BMC had said the structural audit of the foot overbridge at CSMT railway station in south Mumbai was not carried out properly.

Desai, who worked with a private firm, had allegedly given clearance for continued use of the ill-fated bridge after a structural audit.

The bridge collapsed during the evening of March 14, leaving six dead and over 30 others injured.