Patna: A 40-year-old engineer working at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna’s Kankarbagh area died after a 10-quintal iron gate collapsed on him around 3.30am on Wednesday.
The victim, Sajja Murthy, a resident of Petbashirabad in Telangana, was reportedly pinned beneath the gate for nearly four hours before anyone discovered him.
Because it was the middle of the night, no one heard his cries or noticed the accident. When his body was found, Murthy was still holding his mobile phone, indicating he may have desperately tried to call for help.
Body found at dawn; CCTV shows a truck leaving
Murthy, who had been supervising construction at the sports complex since May, lived on the first floor of the boys’ hostel on the premises.
Eyewitness Ravi Shankar Singh said the accident likely occurred around 3.30am, but the engineer’s body was discovered only at 7am when morning walkers entered the complex.
“We saw him crushed under the gate. We immediately informed the police,” Singh said.
He added that CCTV footage showed a truck leaving the complex early in the morning.
“It seems he closed the gate after the truck left, and the gate collapsed on the other side, trapping him.”
Gate installed recently; questions over safety
The gate, weighing around 10 quintals, had been installed just six months ago, raising fresh questions over safety standards at the under-construction complex.
Murthy had stepped out of his hostel room several times during the night.
A female security guard said she had noticed him moving up and down the staircase repeatedly.
“He went to his room three or four times. I even asked why he was going up and down at night,” she said.
Investigations under way
Police have sealed the site and begun examining CCTV footage, the condition of the gate, and movement of vehicles around the time of the accident. The contractor overseeing the project has been summoned for questioning.
Authorities are yet to determine whether the collapse was caused by faulty installation, structural weakness, or an accidental imbalance triggered while closing the gate.
Murthy’s death has shocked workers and residents of the area, many of whom gathered at the complex as news spread through the morning.
