No worker records hamper Kolkata warehouse collapse probe: Police

Kolkata: The absence of any attendance register or worker records at the warehouse that collapsed in the city has made it difficult for the investigators to ascertain how many labourers might still be trapped under the rubble, a senior Kolkata Police officer said on Thursday.

The body of the principal contractor, who was among the five people named in the FIR registered in the case, was recovered from the site.

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The police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into how the structure caved in on Wednesday.

Addressing reporters at Kolkata Police headquarters 'Lalbazar', Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Kunal Agarwal said rescue operations were continuing even 24 hours after the collapse of the warehouse under construction, but the lack of documentation at the site had emerged as a major challenge.

"There was no attendance register or any system to maintain records of workers engaged at the site. Because of that, we are unable to determine the exact number of labourers who were present when the structure collapsed or whether anyone remains trapped under the rubble," Agarwal said.

"Until the entire structure is removed, we will not be sure whether some other persons are stuck underneath. The labour supplier has a very vague idea that there were 20-30 people there, but he has no concrete figure," the IPS officer said.

He said the lack of any attendance register or labour records had made the task even more difficult for the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case.

Police had registered a suo motu case in connection with the Taratala collapse and named five people in the FIR. Among them, the body of the principal contractor, Azgar Hussain, was recovered from the site on Thursday morning, Agarwal said.

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"The remaining four people named in the FIR have been arrested. They include Syed Mohammad Gulzar, the building supervisor of Ayan Traders, the firm involved in constructing the roof of the warehouse," he said.

"We have also arrested Shambhunath Behera, owner of Behera Brothers, the company that had taken the land on lease from the Kolkata Port authorities and was constructing the warehouse," he said.

The other arrested persons are Kamal Samanta, who was responsible for fabricating the iron framework, labour supplier Dibakar Bhandari, and Abdul Hamid, who allegedly acted as a broker in obtaining plan approval from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

The police officer also clarified that three persons initially detained on Wednesday night for questioning were not arrested.

"Last night, there were three who had come out of the construction site to have tea when the structure collapsed. They were fortunate to escape the devastation. It would have been inhuman if we had shown them as arrested. We examined them and found that they were labourers working like others at the site," he said.

Agarwal said all individuals connected with the project would be examined as part of the investigation.

All those who have connections with the project will be examined, he added.

"The Detective Department is investigating the matter, and an SIT has been formed. The SIT has formulated an SOP on how the probe will be taken forward and how all persons involved will be interrogated. A list has been prepared of those who will be questioned in this case," he said.

Agarwal said investigators had found criminal antecedents against two of the five individuals named in the FIR.

"Two out of the five people linked to the case have criminal records. Syed Mohammed Gulzar has a criminal history and was charge-sheeted in an Ekbalpore police station case in 2018," he said.

"Azgar Hussain's name figures in the FIR, but unfortunately, his name also appears on the list of deceased persons. He had been chargesheeted in two cases earlier, one in an extortion case in 2018 and another in 2013," Agarwal said.

On reports regarding municipal approvals for the structure, the officer said police were awaiting documents from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

"We have sought some specific documents from the KMC. Once we get them, we will be able to talk further on this issue," he said.

"Unless the KMC gives us the details, we will not be able to tell you whether the plan was sanctioned or not," Agarwal added.

The warehouse was being built on a leasehold plot owned by the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in the city.