The Chawri Bazar building collapse in Delhi killed two construction workers after a contractor allegedly ignored repeated warnings that the structure was too weak to support another concrete slab, according to the FIR registered by Delhi Police. Three contractors have been arrested in connection with the incident.
The building collapsed at about 9.30 am on Thursday while construction work was under way. The two workers who died were trapped under the debris. Firoz, a construction worker from Bihar who lives in Mandawali, survived because he was working near the rear portion of the building when it came down.
In his statement to the police, Firoz alleged that the workers had repeatedly raised concerns about the quality of construction and the amount of cement being used. He told investigators that the previously constructed lintel or slab had not dried and was not strong enough to bear the weight of another slab.
According to the FIR, the workers told the contractor that additional cement and wooden supports were needed to strengthen the structure. The contractor allegedly directed them to continue the work, saying that making the changes would increase construction costs. The workers also tried to bring the issue to the attention of the building owners, but their warnings were not acted upon, the statement says.
The construction was being carried out in stages on a plot measuring about 70 square yards. Firoz told the police that three concrete slabs had already been laid before the next stage of construction began. The workers were concerned that the earlier slab was not sufficiently strong to carry another slab, according to the FIR.
Police have registered a case against Tajuddin and Furqan under Sections 105, 290, 125(a) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The sections cited in the FIR relate to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, building-related negligence, acts endangering life or personal safety, and common intention.
Delhi Police said the three arrested contractors were identified as Siraj, Tajuddin and Furqan. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said the men were arrested from Sirohi village in Faridabad’s Dauji tehsil. Police said all three were residents of the Ajmeri Gate area, although their full names were not immediately available.
The case places construction safety and supervision at the centre of the investigation. The FIR records the surviving worker’s account of warnings about the strength of the structure, the quality of materials and the absence of adequate support before the collapse. The immediate legal process will determine responsibility for the deaths and examine how the construction was allowed to continue despite those alleged warnings.
