Mira Road Crane Collapse: Father Moves High Court to Book Builder JP Infra

Aziz Khokar, the father of 21-year-old Muzammil Khokar who was killed in a 100-feet crane collapse in Mira Road on July 16, approached the Bombay High Court on Monday demanding that builder JP Infra be named as an accused in the murder case.

The writ petition was filed after the Kashigaon police registered a First Information Report against a contractor, subcontractor, safety engineer, and several others, but excluded the builder from the case. The high court is scheduled to hear the petition on August 3.

Khokar, 47, approached the court while undergoing medical treatment at Cordis Criticare Hospital following a five-day hunger strike in front of the Kashigaon police station. He stated that he was forced to turn to the court after police officials repeatedly ignored his requests to add the builder's name to the police case. Khokar alleged that the police were protecting senior executives of the construction company by booking only low-level contractors and engineers.

The fatal incident occurred inside the JP North Complex in Mira Road, where a 100-feet crane crashed at an under-construction building site. Muzammil Khokar, a resident of the nearby JK Iris Housing Society, lost his life in the collapse. The incident also left two people injured, including a woman and the crane operator, while causing severe property damage to 12 two-wheelers and four four-wheelers.

According to Khokar, residents of the JK Iris Housing Society had previously warned the builder several times about the severe risk posed by a 360-degree revolving crane operating in a crammed area, but their warnings were ignored. Asif Chowdhary, the maternal uncle of the deceased, confirmed that the family pursued the high court petition on legal advice after the local police failed to take action against the builder.