Burari building collapse FIR: ‘Despite complaints of cracks, owner continued construction’

Rescuers on Tuesday pulled out five bodies, including of two minors, from the wreckage of a building that collapsed in Burari, north Delhi, the previous day, as police filed a first information report (FIR) against the owner of the building which alleged that he ignored complaints about the structural integrity of the four-storey flat.

The five victims were identified as Radhika (7), Sadhana (17), Anil Gupta (42), Mohammad Sarfaraz (22) and Mohammad Qadir (40) police said on Tuesday.

The FIR, which HT has seen, was filed at the behest of a complaint lodged by Lalta Prasad (40) who worked as a guard at the building and lived there with his wife, seven daughters and son. Two of his daughters — Radhika and Sadhana — were among the dead.

In the FIR, Prasad alleged that the owner, Yogender Bhati, ignored a raft of complaints about cracks on the walls and pillars, as well as a purported “tilt” in the building. Bhati, a builder who lives in the same neighbourhood, is still at large, said deputy commissioner of police (north) Raja Banthia, adding that multiple teams have been formed to nab him.

The FIR was filed under sections 105 (culpable homicide amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) and 3[5] (multiple people commit a crime with a common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Bhati.

Prasad said he had been working as a guard in the building for the past eight months and earned ₹9,000 a month.

In the FIR, Prasad said that when he first started working at the building, it only had two floors and that work on the other two began later.

“A few days ago, I saw cracks in the walls on the right side and the pillars of the parking lot. The building also tilted and I apprised Bhati about it... He got them covered by plaster. I told him that the pillars are weak and the building can fall and kill people. He ignored this... And said that he doesn’t care if people live or die,” he said in the FIR.

Prasad alleged that Bhati berated him, told him off and asked that he “not behave like a contractor”.

“I made up my mind to leave the house and was going to move out in two or three days. Then, on January 27 around 6.30pm... The building started falling apart and collapsed.”

In the FIR, he held Bhati responsible for the death of his daughters.

The rescue operation started around 7pm on Monday and was still on till the time of publication on Tuesday. At least 100 personnel of the Delhi Fire Service have been a part of the operation since Monday.

A police officer said more people may be trapped under the debris.

“The rescue operation is still underway. Multiple agencies like police, fire and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are on the spot. Police have cordoned off the area and are collecting more details from the locals to know how many people are still trapped inside the building,” the police officer said.

Another senior Delhi Police officer said that the officials from the forensic science laboratory, Rohini, collected samples from five different spots. “The police have also taken photographs of the spot and collected two electricity meters from under the debris,” the officer said, asking not to be named.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi said: “DDA is watching the activities of unauthorized construction in this area and has issued noticed to nearby properties of same khasra number under section 30 (1) of DDA Act-1957. Further, as per SOP issued by STF dated 15.05.2024, the concerned authority will take action upon the land /area under their jurisdiction...”

DDA did not respond to repeated requests seeking comment on the matter.