It has been two years, but the two accused in the incident have been roaming free after being granted bail
Representational Pic
ADVERTISEMENT
It has been two years since a police case was filed in the fire incident at Kurla's City Kinara restaurant, and yet, things continue to move at snail's pace. The incident that occurred on October 17, 2015 had claimed eight lives, including seven students. The VB Nagar police had in January, 2016, filed a charge sheet, which had accounts of over 30 witnesses, against two accused, restaurant manager Sharad Tripathi and owner, Sudesh Hegde. Both accused are out on bail, confirmed an officer from the VB Nagar police station.
Also read - 16 months after Kinara blaze: Victims to get Rs 1lakh compensation instead of Rs 40 lakh
Nicholas Almeida of Watchdog Foundation, who is keeping a close eye on the case, said, "The victims are still awaiting justice. They won't get it unless the assistant municipal commissioner Prashant Sapkale (who was posted in L-ward at the time of the incident) is slapped with murder charges. He is now posted at G-South ward, which means the Kamala Mills fire incident has also happened under his jurisdiction. Merely transferring such officers, who are responsible for such serious incidents, will not serve the purpose."
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai, National and International news here
Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go