Mumbai hoarding collapse: Owner previously booked in rape case, fined 21 times for illegal billboards

The owner of the illegal hoarding which fell on a petrol pump after a massive dust storm hit Mumbai on Monday was earlier booked in a rape case by the Mumbai police, The Indian Express reported.

The hoarding’s collapse has killed 14 people and injured over 70 so far. 

FIR against Mumbai hoarding owner

The hoarding incident comes under the jurisdiction of the Pant Nagar Police. They have registered an FIR against 51-year-old Bavesh Prabhudas Bhinde. He is the director of Ego Media which held the contract for the hoarding on a 10-year lease.

In the FIR, he has been charged under sections 304 (culpable homicide), 338 (causing grievous hurt), 337 (causing hurt by negligent act), 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The court documents have revealed that Bhinde faced accusations of rape and molestation, leading to a case being filed at the Mulund police station on January 24 of this year. Subsequently, the Bombay High Court granted him anticipatory bail.  Mulund Police Station Senior Inspector, Ajay Joshi said, “A rape case was registered against him. A chargesheet has already been filed in the matter.”

Bhinde had contested as an Independent candidate in the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly elections. Back then he had declared 21 instances of fines under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act for unauthorised banner placement, along with two offences under the Negotiable Instruments (NI) Act associated with cheque bouncing.

Ghatkopar hoarding collapse

The hoarding which collapsed yesterday in Mumbai was placed beside a petrol pump at Pant Nagar on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH), exceeding the approved dimensions, measuring 120 x 120 feet instead of the permitted 40 x 40 feet.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Bhushan Gagrani on Monday called the hoarding illegal saying the civi body had not permitted placing it there. “The location where the incident occurred has four hoardings set up on the Railway land and one of them has collapsed. The BMC had been objecting to (setting up) hoardings for one year,” he added.