Bail for Sikkim bridge contractor

Gangtok, June 3: Government contractor T. Lachungpa, who was arrested in connection with the bridge collapse in East Sikkim, was today granted bail to allow him to go to Delhi for medical treatment. The incident on May 29 had killed four workers and injured around 25.

Lachungpa, also the chief convener of the Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad, had been arrested from Manipal Central Referral Hospital (CRH) on June 1. He was admitted to the hospital at 5th Mile here because of injuries — three broken ribs and accumulated fluid — suffered in the same incident.

Today, Lachungpa’s counsels, K.T. Bhutia and Bhaskar Pradhan, moved a bail petition in the district and sessions’ court (East and North), saying that their client had to be taken to Delhi since the CRH had certified that he should be under the treatment of a thoracic (chest) specialist. The facility was not available at the hospital, they said.

The chief judicial magistrate (East) had passed an order yesterday to produce Lachungpa in court. When police reached the CRH to take him to court, doctors in the hospital refused to release the contractor.

The superintendent of the CRH had also certified that the patient should avoid any movement.

Armed with the medical advice, Lachungpa’s counsels filed a revision in the district and sessions’ court, which stayed the previous order and granted him an interim bail today.

The contractor, who had been constructing the bridge under the Pradhan Mantri’s Gram Sadak Yojana at Chenzey, had been charged under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety to others) and 337 (causing hurt by such an act) of the IPC for the bridge collapse.

The divisional engineer (East) of the state rural management and development department, Shanti Tamang, had filed an FIR with the Ranipul police station against Lachungpa after the mishap, alleging that the contractor had flouted government guidelines for constructing the bridge.

Lachungpa has denied the allegation. He would be taken to Delhi under “medical supervision” tomorrow, one of his lawyers said.