Morbi Bridge Tragedy: Arrest Warrant Out Against Promoter of Company Under Lens

The collapse of the colonial-era hanging bridge had resulted in the deaths of 140 people.

(Photo: PTI)

There is an arrest warrant out for Jaysukh Patel, a promoter of Oreva Group which was responsible for the upkeep of the Morbi bridge that tragically collapsed in October last year.

Details: The Gujarat Police issued the warrant on Sunday, 22 January, according to a report by The Hindu.

• The warrant was authorised after Patel reportedly failed to comply with police summons to appear for interrogation

• A lookout circular has also been issued by the police against Patel

Why it matters: The collapse of the colonial-era hanging bridge had resulted in the deaths of 140 people. Oreva Group was in-charge of renovating and repairing the bridge.

This seems to be the first instance of police action against a promoter of the Gujarat-based company.

The story so far: After the tragedy, the Gujarat government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the collapse of the bridge.

• The SIT found that there were several lapses in the repair, maintenance, and operational work undertaken by Oreva Group of the Morbi bridge.

• Those who have been arrested include four employees, two managers, two ticket-booking clerks, and a security guard, among others.

What next? Patel has sought anticipatory bail from a local court which is set to hear the matter on 1 February.