BSNL Officials & Contractor Booked By Pimpri-Chinchwad For Culpable Homicide In Nigdi Pradhikaran's Labour Death Case

Nigdi: Pimpri-Chinchwad Police have registered a case at Nigdi Police Station for three deaths that took place in a BSNL Inspection Chamber. They all died on 15th August due to suffocation in the chamber in Nigdi Pradhikaran Area. Initially, an Accidental Death (AD) was registered, but after investigation, police booked multiple people. 

A case has been registered against Ramesh Shivaji Patil (age 46, resident of Chinchwadgaon) and all the involved BSNL officials, whose names have not been disclosed yet. Ramesh Patil, booked under BNS Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), has been arrested. 

According to police reports, Patil was the Telecom Infrastructure Provider (TIP) who worked with BSNL. Dattatraya Vijaykumar Honale, Lakhan aka Sandeep Ashruba Dhaware, and Sahebrao Sambhaji Girshet were the people who died inside the chamber on Independence Day. 

A police official said, "Initially it was determined Honale was the contractor and as he himself died, we registered an AD. However, they all were hired by Patil. Patil had asked them to remove the fiber point from the duct in the chamber. Investigation has revealed they weren’t provided with proper gear, including masks, hand gloves, gum boots, or other relevant equipment. Also, the accused Patil knew this work needed skilled labourers but still went with rather inexperienced people." 

Police reports also claim that the chamber was closed for many days and neither the contractor Patil nor the BSNL officials checked its condition before asking the workers to go inside. Police Inspector (Crime) Bhojraj Misal reported the incident to Nigdi Police Station, after which the case was registered. Misal was also one of the few officers on the spot despite the majority of the police being at Alandi for Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ visit. Assistant Police Inspector Shinde is investigating the matter further.

PCMC Forms Three-Member Committee For Investigation

PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh ordered a three-member committee for the investigation of these deaths on Wednesday. All of the deceased died due to suffocation on Independence Day. When they entered the chamber, they suffocated due to toxic fumes inside. PCMC Chief Engineer Sanjay Kulkarni, Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Khot, and Joint City Engineer Bapusaheb Gaikwad are the members of the committee investigating the matter.

Case Registered After Protest

Kashtakari Sangarsh Mahasangh staged a protest on Wednesday outside the BSNL office in Pimpri-Chinchwad. They raised slogans and displayed banners demanding justice for the three deceased. Stating that no case had been registered and no help for their families had been announced, they demanded justice. After their protest, a case was registered.