‘Why wasn’t bridge closed to traffic?’: Families raise questions as J-K bridge collapse toll rises to 3

Govt takes action against two officials, constitutes inquiry committee

Three labourers were found dead and another was rescued following a night-long rescue operation at the site of an under-repair bridge that collapsed on Friday evening at Thathar in the Bantalab area near Jammu.

The families of the victims have blamed the authorities, alleging that necessary precautions were not taken ahead of the repair work. The government has suspended two officials and constituted a three-member inquiry committee to look into the matter.

An official of the Fire and Emergency Department also got injured during the rescue operation and has been hospitalised.

The bridge collapsed when workers were repairing its retaining walls, which had developed cracks following the 2025 flash floods. When they were working beneath the bridge, a portion of the structure suddenly gave way, burying them under a heap of debris.

The labourer rescued alive from under the debris has been identified as Tarsem Lal. He has been hospitalised and his condition is said to be stable. The rescue operation concluded in the early hours of Saturday.

Soon after the incident, teams comprising police, Army, SDRF, NDRF, and the civil administration rushed to the site and launched a coordinated rescue operation. Heavy machinery, including JCBs, was pressed into service to expedite the search and rescue efforts.

The family members of the victims held the Public Works (R&B) Department responsible for the tragedy, accusing authorities of not stopping the movement of vehicular traffic over the bridge while carrying out repairs of its retaining walls. The families demanded strict action against those responsible.

Taking cognisance of the incident, the Jammu and Kashmir government has suspended Assistant Executive Engineer Sahil Verma and Junior Engineer Sajad Mir, pending inquiry under Rule 331 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956, into their conduct. During suspension, both officers shall remain attached with the office of the Chief Engineer, Public Works (R&B) Zone Jammu, and will be entitled to suspension allowance as per rules.

The government also constituted a three-member inquiry committee headed by Engineer Purshotam Kumar, Secretary Technical (Engineer-in-Chief), Public Works (R&B) Department. Its members include Arit Gupta, Superintendent Engineer, Public Works (R&B) Circle Jammu South, and Rajan Mengi, Executive Engineer, Public Works (R&B) Division Satwari.

The committee has been asked to probe all aspects of the incident, including any dereliction of duty by departmental officers, fix responsibility, especially of the executing agency, recommend action against those responsible and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in future. It has been directed to submit its report within 15 days.

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Three labourers were found dead and another was rescued following a night-long rescue operation at the site of an under-repair bridge that collapsed on Friday evening at Thathar in the Bantalab area near Jammu.

The families of the victims have blamed the authorities, alleging that necessary precautions were not taken ahead of the repair work. The government has suspended two officials and constituted a three-member inquiry committee to look into the matter.

An official of the Fire and Emergency Department also got injured during the rescue operation and has been hospitalised.

The bridge collapsed when workers were repairing its retaining walls, which had developed cracks following the 2025 flash floods. When they were working beneath the bridge, a portion of the structure suddenly gave way, burying them under a heap of debris.

The labourer rescued alive from under the debris has been identified as Tarsem Lal. He has been hospitalised and his condition is said to be stable. The rescue operation concluded in the early hours of Saturday.

Soon after the incident, teams comprising police, Army, SDRF, NDRF, and the civil administration rushed to the site and launched a coordinated rescue operation. Heavy machinery, including JCBs, was pressed into service to expedite the search and rescue efforts.

The family members of the victims held the Public Works (R&B) Department responsible for the tragedy, accusing authorities of not stopping the movement of vehicular traffic over the bridge while carrying out repairs of its retaining walls. The families demanded strict action against those responsible.

Taking cognisance of the incident, the Jammu and Kashmir government has suspended Assistant Executive Engineer Sahil Verma and Junior Engineer Sajad Mir, pending inquiry under Rule 331 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956, into their conduct. During suspension, both officers shall remain attached with the office of the Chief Engineer, Public Works (R&B) Zone Jammu, and will be entitled to suspension allowance as per rules.

The government also constituted a three-member inquiry committee headed by Engineer Purshotam Kumar, Secretary Technical (Engineer-in-Chief), Public Works (R&B) Department. Its members include Arit Gupta, Superintendent Engineer, Public Works (R&B) Circle Jammu South, and Rajan Mengi, Executive Engineer, Public Works (R&B) Division Satwari.

The committee has been asked to probe all aspects of the incident, including any dereliction of duty by departmental officers, fix responsibility, especially of the executing agency, recommend action against those responsible and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in future. It has been directed to submit its report within 15 days.