14 people died when a giant advertising banner collapsed on a petrol station in Ghatkopar area of Mumbai yesterday (May 13). Many people were injured and hospitalized. The flag collapsed in the rain accompanied by strong winds.
In this case, cases have already been registered in the police stations against the owner of the advertisement banner. Earlier this year, the Mumbai police registered a case of rape against the billboard owner.
The Bund Nagar police, where the accident happened, registered an FIR against Bhavesh Prabudas Pinde (51), director of Eco Media Pvt Ltd, who had contracted the advertisement banner on Monday night. This company took 10 years to advertise there.
According to court documents, a case of rape was registered against Pinde at the Mulund police station on January 24 this year. He was eventually granted anticipatory bail by the Bombay High Court. “A case of rape has been registered against him. A chargesheet has already been filed in this case,” said Ajay Joshi, Senior Inspector, Mulund Police Station.
Pinde contested the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly elections as an independent candidate. At that time
He said that he has been fined 21 times under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act for putting up banners without permission and has been booked in 2 cases of check forgery.
Apart from this, according to the documents submitted by him when he contested the 2009 Maharashtra assembly elections in Mulund, Bide declared that he had been charged 21 times under Sections 328 (unlawful display of flags) and 471 (penalty) of the MMC Act and two other cases. Cases under NI Act. The status of the cases is unclear.
Binde was booked under Sections 304, 338, 337 (causing hurt by negligent act) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Band Nagar police station on Monday night.
A banner placed near a petrol pump on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) at Panth Nagar was in violation of the rules and was much larger than the permissible size. The banner was placed at 120 x 120 feet, exceeding the permissible size of 40 x 40 feet.
On Monday, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chairman Bhushan Khachrani said the flag placed at Ghatkopar was illegal as it was not allowed to be put up. Khachrani said, “There were four boardings set up on the railway land where the incident took place. One of them has collapsed. For the past one year, the corporation has been objecting to putting up the flag,” said Khachrani.
