Quaiser Khalid rejected another proposal for Ghatkopar hoarding and accepted Ego Media’s: Police

MUMBAI: In its investigation into the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse case, the Mumbai police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) has found that former Government Railway Police (GRP) commissioner Quaiser Khalid had rejected a proposal from the operator of the petrol pump to erect a hoarding on an adjoining plot in the Ghatkopar railway police colony land.

The proposal was rejected after Ego Media’s director Bhavesh Bhinde approached Khalid and offered more rent to put up a hoarding, said a police officer. Ego Media, an advertising agency, had already put up three hoardings on the plot by then.

“Once Bhinde approached Khalid, he called the other party and told them that they do not have legal rights to erect hoarding there. After that, Bhinde put up the proposal for the fourth hoarding and Khalid cleared his proposal a couple of hours before he was transferred from the GRP commissioner,” said the police officer.

The fourth hoarding, eventually erected by Ego Media, collapsed on the petrol pump on May 13 following a short spell of heavy, unseasonal rain and gusty winds. Seventeen people were killed, and several others were injured in the crash.

Ego Media had applied for permission to erect three hoardings on the Ghatkopar plot in 2020. The GRP, under its then chief Ravindra Sengaonkar, granted permission, with the size of the hoardings stipulated at 40x40 feet and a tenure of 10 years, as per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC’s) norms.

In July 2022, Bhinde allegedly approached Khalid, who had become the GRP commissioner by then, with a request to increase the size of the three hoardings to 80x80 feet and the length of the tenure from 10 to 30 years. Bhinde also sought permission for a fourth hoarding, for which a tender was not issued. Khalid allegedly approved the application in December 2022.

Khalid, in his statement to the SIT on July 11, claimed he was unaware that the tender for the fourth hoarding, sized 140x120 feet, was not issued. He thought all four hoardings were part of one project, out of which three had already been erected. He said he gave permission thinking the money could be used for police welfare, according to an officer.

Also part of the charge sheet is the statement of Arshad Khan, the alleged business partner of Khalid’s wife. He received at least ₹55 lakh from Ego Media, according to the police. Khan had taken blank cheques, some of which were post-dated, from the company and withdrew the money by depositing cheques in dozens of people’s bank accounts. During the investigation, the police found 22 transactions since 2022, added officials.

Khan told the SIT he was dealing with Bhinde in his personal capacity. He added that he had provided labourers and technicians for electrical, welding, and other work for the hoarding, which was why he received payment from Ego Media. The firm made the payments to people who worked with Khan, said the officer.

The police have so far arrested four people in connection with the incident: Bhinde; Jahnavi Marathe, the former director of Ego Media; Manoj Sanghu, a BMC-approved civil engineer who had issued a stability certificate for the hoarding despite knowing it exceeded permissible limits; and Sagar Kumbhar, the contractor who erected the hoarding. Sanghu got bail, while the other three are in judicial custody.