Kolkata warehouse roof collapse: JU experts probe structural design flaws
Synopsis
Sixteen lives lost, two people arrested, and now a top engineering institution drafted in — the Taratala warehouse collapse is no longer just a construction tragedy. The SIT's move to rope in Jadavpur University experts to audit structural design, combined with arrests linking the disaster to municipal sanction processes under a TMC-run KMC board, suggests this probe is heading toward institutional accountability, not just individual culpability.
Key Takeaways
The SIT has assigned architectural experts from Jadavpur University (JU) to identify structural design flaws in the collapsed Taratala warehouse in South Kolkata .
The collapse, which occurred last week, has claimed 16 lives so far.
Preliminary findings point to substandard construction material and a flawed casting pattern as key causes.
Sambhunath Behra (warehouse owner) and Kalicharan Banerjee (former OSD to ex-KMC Mayor Firhad Hakim) have been arrested; both are reportedly uncooperative in interrogation.
Abdul Hamid was arrested separately for allegedly securing the construction sanction plan through the previous TMC -run KMC board.
The BJP 's Mazdoor Cell has filed a complaint against former Mayor Firhad Hakim and two TMC councillors at Taratala Police Station .
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Taratala warehouse roof collapse in South Kolkata has brought in architectural experts from Jadavpur University (JU) to examine structural design flaws in the building that caved in last week, killing 16 people. The move signals a deepening technical dimension to what is already a multi-agency criminal investigation.
What the JU Experts Will Examine
The team of architectural experts from Jadavpur University — widely regarded as one of West Bengal's premier engineering institutions — has been tasked with determining whether the warehouse was constructed in conformity with its original approved design, or whether significant deviations occurred during the building process. According to police insiders, this assessment is central to establishing where criminal liability lies.
A preliminary SIT probe had already flagged two contributing factors: the use of substandard construction material and a flawed casting pattern in the roof slab. The JU team is expected to provide a more definitive technical verdict on these findings.
Arrests and Interrogation
Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the collapse. Sambhunath Behra, the owner of the warehouse, and Kalicharan Banerjee, former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor Firhad Hakim, are currently in custody. Police insiders noted that both accused have remained largely uncooperative during interrogation.
Separately, investigators are conducting searches at the residence of Abdul Hamid, who was arrested on findings that he was allegedly responsible for getting the construction sanction plan approved by the previous All India Trinamool Congress (TMC)-run board of the KMC.
Land, Lease, and Institutional Lapses
The warehouse was being built on land owned by the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), which had leased the plot to warehouse owner Sambhunath Behra. The construction plan itself was sanctioned by the KMC. The SIT has already sought further documentation from both the KMC and KoPT.
Investigators are now scrutinising documents recovered from Behra Brothers and are examining whether a brokerage angle was involved in the land lease arrangement. They are also attempting to establish whether a formal deadline had been set for project completion — a detail that could shed light on whether corners were cut to meet targets.
Political Dimension
The collapse has drawn sharp political reactions. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Mazdoor Cell filed a police complaint at Taratala Police Station against former KMC Mayor Firhad Hakim and two TMC councillors, Anwar Khan and Shams Iqbal, in connection with the disaster. The complaint adds a political layer to an investigation that already implicates municipal sanction processes under the previous TMC-run KMC board.
What Comes Next
With the JU structural audit underway and multiple arrests already made, the SIT is expected to widen its net as forensic and documentary evidence accumulates. The investigation's outcome could have significant implications for oversight of large construction projects on port-trust land across the city.
Point of View
Because it implicates institutional failure, not just personal negligence. The arrests of a former mayoral OSD and a figure linked to municipal plan approvals suggest investigators believe the regulatory process itself was compromised. If the JU audit confirms major deviations from the approved design, the question of who signed off — and why — will become impossible to sidestep. The BJP's complaint against Firhad Hakim adds political pressure, but the real accountability test is whether the probe reaches the sanctioning officials, not just the contractors on the ground.
NationPress
1 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What caused the Taratala warehouse roof collapse in Kolkata?
A preliminary SIT probe found that the collapse was caused by a combination of substandard construction material and a flawed casting pattern in the roof slab. Jadavpur University architectural experts have now been brought in to conduct a more detailed structural design audit.
How many people died in the Kolkata Taratala warehouse collapse?
The warehouse roof collapse at Taratala in South Kolkata has claimed 16 lives so far. The incident occurred last week at an under-construction warehouse on land leased from the Kolkata Port Trust.
Who has been arrested in connection with the Kolkata warehouse collapse?
Three people have been arrested: warehouse owner Sambhunath Behra, Kalicharan Banerjee (former OSD to ex-KMC Mayor Firhad Hakim), and Abdul Hamid, who is accused of facilitating the construction sanction plan through the previous TMC-run KMC board.
What is Jadavpur University's role in the Taratala collapse investigation?
The SIT has assigned a team of architectural experts from Jadavpur University to determine whether the warehouse was built as per its original approved design or whether deviations occurred during construction. Their findings are expected to be central to establishing criminal liability.
Who owns the land where the collapsed warehouse was being built?
The warehouse was under construction on land owned by the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), which had leased the plot to warehouse owner Sambhunath Behra. The construction plan was separately sanctioned by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).
