Modi should pull up Gujarat govt on Morbi Tragedy: Cong

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pull up the Gujarat government to come clean on the "sloppy investigation process" in the recent Morbi bridge collapse tragedy in which 135 people were killed and over 100 injured.

Kharge took to Twitter to question why no action was taken against the contractors and municipal officials.

"Over 130 dead and no action been taken against the contractors and municipal officials?" he asked in his tweet. "The Congress president in another tweet said "Rusted cable of the bridge was NOT repaired. Bridge opened on Oct 26 without fitness certificate and official consent.

Contractor was not qualified for the job. Municipality Chief knew that the bridge was open a day before the tragedy." "Is this negligence too an act of god?", Kharge asked. The Congress chief further stated "The PM should pull up his Govt to come clean on this sloppy investigation process."

At least 135 people were killed and over 100 injured after a cable suspension bridge in Morbi town collapsed on Sunday, plunging people into the Machchhu river. Four of the nine accused in the mishap have been arrested and remanded to police custody.

Five are still at large. Gujarat Police had filed a First Information Report under IPC sections 304 and 308 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) against the nine people of Oreva group, prima facie responsible for the bridge collapse tragedy.

Of the four persons in police custody, two are managers of the Oreva company, which threw the bridge open for visitors after seven months of maintenance works, and the other two are fabrication work contractor's people.

Speaking on the ongoing investigation, Rahul Tripathi, SP, Morbi, said, "We are questioning all the 4 accused in our custody and we are trying to establish the liability of the different kinds of lapses in the bridge renovation. We are doing a thorough investigation and if anyone's role comes forward, he or she will be booked and arrested."

He added further, "Yes, we have given a scientific report to the court but details of the same can't be shared with you at this stage as this will hamper our investigation."

Statewide mourning was observed in Gujarat on Wednesday with the national flag flown at half-mast on the government buildings in the state.