Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 25 : The Government of West Bengal on Wednesday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the collapse of an under-construction godown shed in Kolkata's Taratala area.
According to the official release, the SIT will be headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Joysurja Mukherjee. The team includes Inspector Debasis Dutta, Officer-in-Charge of the Homicide Squad (DD); Inspector Hirak Dalapati (DD), who will serve as the new Investigating Officer (IO) of the case; Inspector Sarfaraz Ahmed of the Anti-Rowdy Squad (DD); and Sub-Inspectors Manas Bhattacharya and Kushal Mondal from the Taratala Police Station.
"A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is hereby constituted for investigation of Taratala PS Case No. 74 dated 24.06.2026 u/s 105/110/3(5) BNS after transferring the Case to Detective Department, Kolkata. The SIT comprising of the following members shall be headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Commissioner of Police, Detective Department, Kolkata," read the Order.
Earlier, Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) President Humayun Kabir condemned the collapse of an under-construction godown shed in Kolkata's Taratala area, asserting that "the entire system" must be held accountable for the incident.
Speaking to ANI, the AJUP President alleged that a technical defect in the structure's architecture was the primary cause of the collapse.
"This is really sad. So many people are injured and people also died. There must have been some or the other defect or technical fault, otherwise this would not have happened. Where did the fault lie should be examined by experts...There is no need to blame just one Firhad Hakim, the entire system should be blamed. All those who passed the project, recommended it and floated the tender should be blamed..." said Kabir.
Meanwhile, three persons, including a building supervisor and two labour suppliers, have been arrested in connection with the collapse of an under-construction godown shed in Kolkata.
According to West Bengal CMO, the arrested individuals have been identified as Saiyad Md Gulzar, the building supervisor, and labour suppliers Md Ataul and Subhash Chowdhury.
The arrests came after the collapse of an under-construction private godown near Brace Bridge in Taratala, which triggered a large-scale rescue operation involving multiple agencies.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the death toll in the incident had risen to five, while 20 people sustained injuries. Of the injured, two are currently undergoing treatment in the Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU), while the remaining 18 are reported to be out of danger.
The incident occurred at around 12:07 pm on Tuesday. Rescue operations began shortly thereafter and were carried out jointly by the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Kolkata Police, Fire Department, Civil Defence, and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).
State Minister Moumita Biswas Misra described the incident as a consequence of the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government's "sins", alleging that the party's past actions have adversely impacted the entire state of West Bengal.
"This is a result of their (previous state govt) sin, of what they did to entire West Bengal...If poor quality, unplanned construction is done, such incidents will occur. CM Suvendu Adhikari and our State Govt are in place, so 24 people could be rescued. Of them, 18 are out of danger...Within 30 minutes, the Army and everyone else was rushed to the ground...We need to be cautious in the days to come. May such incidents do not occur again. All buildings and bridges should be examined. Only then can the situation be assessed..." Misra told ANI.