After 18 long years, three accused convicted in the Daman bridge collapse that killed 28 children and two others

Daman Court sentence imprisonment of two years to the accused and fine of 16,500

Surat (Gujarat) [India], February 23 : Eighteen years after the collapse of the iron bridge over the Damanganga river in the union territory of Daman, killing 28 innocent school children, a teacher and a pedestrian, three Public Works Department (PWD) officials of Daman were convicted and sent to prison for two years on Wednesday.

Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Daman Court, AP Kokate sentenced Bharat Mangilal Gupta, executive engineer, Dhiru Prabhakar, assistant engineer and Ishwarlal Santaram Talekar, assistant survey work department of the Daman’s PWD department with two years of imprisonment and fine worth Rs 16,500.

The iron bridge over the Damanganga river connected Moti Daman with the Nani Daman. The incident occurred on August 28, 2003 when the bridge suddenly collapsed killing 30 people including 28 school children, a teacher and a pedestrian.

The Nani Daman police had registered a case under section 427, 337, 338, 304-A, and section 3,4 of Public Property Damage Act. About seven officials were arrested and that the chargesheet in the case was filed on August 18, 2008.

Sources said that out of seven accused, one died and two were discharged by the High Court.