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Four months on, cops record statements of BMC officers

Last week, the city police recorded the statement of an officer from the DMC, along with several others from the local ward office in context of the mitigation plan of the Make In India's (MII) Maharashtra Night event, which set ablaze on February 14.

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Almost four months after a huge inferno charred the cultural event organised by the Maharashtra government at Girgaum Chowpatty, the city police have recorded statements of officers of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), including the latest from the Disaster Management Cell (DMC).

Last week, the city police recorded the statement of an officer from the DMC, along with several others from the local ward office in context of the mitigation plan of the Make In India's (MII) Maharashtra Night event, which set ablaze on February 14.

According to the information, civic officers were asked to be present at the DB Marg police station, which registered the FIR against the event management company — Wizcraft — to record their observations on the said incident.

The police, before calling upon the officers from the DMC and the local D Ward office, had earlier recorded statements from the MFB officers, who had stationed two crews at the beach-front venue.

"The statements of the BMC officers and local ward office staff were recorded as part of the ongoing investigation of the case," said additional commissioner of police (South) Dr Pratap Dighavkar.

He added that the police were awaiting the forensic analysis report from the Kalina laboratory to supplement the statements given by the officers, who had either assayed the event venue before the incident or were present at the time of the fire. "The forensic analysis alongside the testimonial and circumstantial evidence will tighten the case. We are expecting it (forensic report) to come soon," Dighavkar added.

The police are also taking assistance of the preliminary report tabled by the MFB on February 24, wherein it leveled the blame as 'willful negligence' by the event management company for the incident. The MFB in its 185-page report had outlined the cause of fire to be the 'defective electric circuit' underneath the stage.

It has also highlighted that repeated instructions on fire safety were ignored in the run-up to the event. "The likely cause of fire is concluded as defective electric circuit (electric spark from the electric wiring came in contact with combustible materials underneath the stage) contributed by negligence of organizers/event management company by storing highly combustible material below the stage that has aggravated the fire," the report read.

Meanwhile, officers of the BMC and MFB refused to comment on their deposition to the police over the fire which had engulfed the entire stage, amidst the presence of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and 7,000-plus attendees.

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