Mumbai:1 Dead, 3 Injured After Metro Pillar Slab Collapses In Mulund

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a probe into the incident and announced a compensation of Rs five lakh for the family of the deceased, along with medical expenses for the injured. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray criticised the BJP-led Mahayuti government, alleging serious lapses in safety measures at metro construction sites.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, a section of the parapet wall measuring about 6 ft by 4 ft from the elevated metro bridge fell onto a moving autorickshaw (MH-04-MP-1434) and a private Skoda car (WB-04-AS-1652). The deceased, identified as Ramdin Yadav, was brought dead to Upasani Hospital in Mulund (West).

The injured include Rajkumar Indrajeet Yadav (45), Mahendra Pratap Yadav (52), and Deepa Ruhiya (40). Rajkumar and Mahendra are admitted to the ICU in critical condition, while Ms. Ruhiya sustained minor injuries and was later discharged.

Following the incident, Maharashtra BJP treasurer and Mulund MLA Mihir Kotecha visited the spot along with Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde. Mr. Kotecha said the accident occurred around 12.15 p.m. while metro construction work was underway on LBS Marg. “Ramdin Yadav, who was travelling with relatives to attend a wedding, died on the spot. Two of his family members are undergoing treatment in the ICU with multiple fractures. Another injured person, Deepa Ruhiya, has been discharged,” he said.

Mr. Kotecha added that strict action would be taken against officials and contractors responsible for the incident. “The Chief Minister has assured that the government stands firmly with the families of the deceased and injured,” he said.

The MLA also alleged that concerns over contractor negligence had been raised earlier at 54 locations with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). “I had repeatedly complained about the poor quality of work, but there was no response,” he said.

Mr. Kotecha claimed that the same contractor, whose work had previously been flagged, was involved in the incident. “The Metro’s Chief Safety Officer informed us that workers mistakenly cut the parapet wall instead of welding and securing it. As per standard operating procedures, such work requires supervision, but no supervisor was present. The weakened structure collapsed nearly 11 hours later,” he said.

Mayor Ms. Tawde termed the incident “100 per cent negligence.” “The parapet wall was installed just a day ago. Its collapse the very next day points to gross negligence,” she said.

Meanwhile, the MMRDA constituted a high-level inquiry committee headed by Basavraj M. Bhadragond, Director (Projects), to investigate the exact cause of the collapse. The committee will examine construction methodology, quality control, supervision mechanisms, contractor compliance, and third-party oversight. A detailed report has been sought on priority.

In a statement, the MMRDA said construction work on the affected stretch has been temporarily halted as a precautionary measure. It also announced financial penalties pending the inquiry — Rs five crore on the contractor RAJV Milan Infra and Rs one crore on the general consultant consortium comprising DB Engineering & Consulting, Hill International Inc., and Louis Berger Consulting Private Limited.

Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Rakesh Shetty said the tragedy exposed repeated negligence and questioned the government’s “double standards” on compensation. Referring to the Bhandup BEST bus accident, he said affected families were still awaiting justice and rehabilitation.

NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto, in a post on X, alleged that the BJP-led Maharashtra government had failed to value human life. He questioned whether action would be taken against officials and contractors responsible for the Metro Line-4 project.

Mr. Thackeray said similar negligence was witnessed during a wall collapse and flooding on the newly inaugurated Metro Line-3 last year. “Will this contractor be blacklisted?” he asked, alleging that poor barricading, premature painting of pillars, and unsafe construction practices showed disregard for human life.

“If you notice, the pillars are already painted before the work is completed. This will cost the State some crores- and then once work is finished, crores again to do them up. Even today, most infrastructure works have terrible barricading that either leads to traffic jams or vehicles falling into open pits. Life has NO value under the BJP regime (sic),” the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader wrote a post on X.

The police have arrested five accused in connection with the incident, which claimed one life and left three others injured.

The accused have been identified as Harish Chauhan (Project Director), Kuldeep Sapkal (Project Manager), Saurabh Singh (Deputy Manager), Prashant Bhoir (Supervisor) and Avdhoot Inamdar (Project Manager).

An offence has been registered under Sections 105, 110, 324(5) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against senior officials and staff of the contracting firms involved in the project, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Hemraj Rajput.

A senior police officer said that Harish Chauhan, Kuldeep Sapkal, Saurabh Singh and Prashant Bhoir are associated with Milan Road Buildtech, a subcontractor of the Reliance Infrastructure–Astaldi joint venture executing the Metro project. Avdhoot Inamdar is linked to DB Hill LBG, the supervisory company overseeing the work. “The arrests followed a preliminary probe which indicated alleged negligence and lapses in supervision at the construction site. Further investigation is underway to determine the extent of accountability,” he added.