Pramesh S Jain
The Tavarekere police have registered a criminal case against five persons including quarry owners and supervisors, following a massive rock collapse at a stone quarry in Bengaluru South taluk that killed seven workers and injured five others on Thursday morning.
Several vehicles including tractors and Htachi vehicles damaged in the incident.
The case has been registered under Sections 105, 125(a), 324(5), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, based on a complaint filed by Gopikrishnan T.
The accused have been identified as D.Anandaswamy, Udayashankar,Pandu,Tirupathi,and other persons responsible for quarry operations at Basaveshwara Stone Quarry and the adjoining S.R.Udayashankar Stone Quarry at Hulukenahalli village in Tavarekere Hobli.
According to the FIR,the quarries had been operating in Survey No.29 for nearly five years.
On Thursday at around 7 am,several workers were engaged in stone-cutting and quarrying activities when a huge rock mass allegedly detached from the quarry face and came crashing down on them.
Senior officer said the quarry management had allegedly continued operations despite being aware of the risk of a rockfall and failed to implement mandatory safety measures to protect workers.
The collapse occurred around 7.30 am trapping several labourers under massive boulders.
Five other workers sustained injuries and were admitted to hospital for treatment.
Rescue personnel from the Fire and Emergency Services Department,police,and local authorities carried out operations to recover the bodies trapped beneath the debris.
The FIR alleges that the accused knowingly allowed quarrying work to continue in an unsafe environment without taking adequate precautionary measures, resulting in the deaths and injuries.
Based on the complaint,the police detained four persons,including two quarry managers,a driver and a site in-charge, for questioning in connection.
During the preliminary investigation,police found no evidence of blasting at the time of the accident.
Investigators suspect the collapse was caused by the instability of a massive rock slide from 40 feet above , though the exact cause is yet to be established.
The investigation is continuing, and police have sought a detailed report from the Department of Mines and Geology to determine whether the quarry operators had complied with statutory safety norms and mining regulations.
Meanwhile,the body of the deceased worker from Yadgir district is being handed over to his family for the last rites.
Police said the bodies of the workers from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will be handed over only after their family members arrive in Bengaluru for identification and other legal formalities.
The Tavarekere police are continuing their investigation into the incident,which has led to the registration of a criminal case against the quarry owners and others responsible for the operations.
