Sohana building owners sent to five-day police remand, contractor named in FIR

A local court today sent the owners of the multi-storey building, which collapsed in Sohana two days ago, to a five-day police remand. The police have nominated contractor Suresh Kumar in the FIR.

Building owners Parwinder Singh and Gagandeep Singh, residents of Chao Majra, who were booked for culpable homicide, were arrested yesterday.

The DSP (City-2), Harsimran Singh Bal, said, “Police teams are carrying out raids to arrest the contractor.”

The collapse of the three-story building housing the “Royal Gym and Cardio” in the basement and the ground floor, and a paying guest (PG) facility on the two upper floors had claimed two lives.

The police said digging work was being carried out by the building owners in the adjoining vacant plot for construction. The structure sunk towards the area that had been dug up around 4.30 pm and eventually collapsed. Onlookers saw cracks widening in the structure and glasses shattering.

A magisterial probe has been ordered in this incident to fix the responsibility within three weeks. Mohali Sub Divisional Magistrate Damandeep Kaur has been asked to submit the report within three weeks.

Advocate Sarabjit Singh Verka, acting chairperson of the Punjab Human Rights Organisation, Chandigarh, demanded that the erring MC officials must also be held responsible. “The building owners have flouted all rules and regulations, the building that collapsed was an unauthorized construction,” he said.