On Friday, the Karnataka Police apprehended three individuals in connection with the stone quarry boulder collapse that occurred at Madapattana village in Bengaluru South taluk, resulting in the loss of seven workers’ lives. The detained persons have been identified as Panduranga, the owner of Sai Ram Crusher, Lokesh, the quarry in-charge, and Raju, the local in-charge. According to the authorities, these individuals are being held for interrogation. Panduranga had leased Basaveshwara Crusher and was operating the quarry. A case has been registered under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita based on a complaint filed by worker Gopikrishnan. The police are likely to question Uday Shankar, the owner of Kaveri Crusher, and D. Anandaswamy, the owner of Basaveshwara Crusher, as part of the ongoing investigation. The incident occurred early Thursday morning at the Kaveri Crusher unit in Madapattana village under the jurisdiction of the Tavarekere Police Station. A massive boulder rolled down from an upper quarry and crashed onto workers at a lower quarry, killing seven and injuring five. One of the injured workers remains in critical condition, while four workers managed to escape. The deceased were identified as Ramu, Rajpal Singh, Satyanarayan Singh, Ram Avtar Singh, Rajendra Prasad, Nuhar, and Bhuvaneshwar Singh, all aged between their 30s and 40s. Central Zone IGP S. Girish stated that the accident involved two adjoining quarries owned by different entities. A worker from Tamil Nadu, Gopi, who narrowly escaped the accident, alleged that workers at the upper quarry failed to warn those working below before moving the rocks. The force of the boulder impact crushed the victims beneath the rocks, making identification difficult. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has sought a detailed report from officials regarding the incident.
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đź“° Source: Mangalorean News