Arjun Modhwadia, a member of the Congress celebration and a former opposition chief in Gujarat, stated that B.J.P. leaders had introduced the bridge’s opening as a “Diwali present to the individuals of Morbi,” with out guaranteeing its security.
Yamal Vyas, a spokesman for the B.J.P. in Gujarat, stated that the nationwide authorities had appointed a “high-powered committee” to analyze the catastrophe. Mr. Modi, who was campaigning in Gujarat, his residence state, forward of fiercely contested state meeting elections, canceled a minimum of a number of the remainder of the week’s marketing campaign occasions.
“Congress desires to ply politics in every part,” Mr. Vyas stated.
Ajanta blamed the victims. “Too many individuals within the midsection of the bridge had been attempting to sway it from one aspect to the opposite,” a newspaper, The Indian Specific, quoted an organization spokesman as saying. It was unclear why the corporate had allowed so many individuals on the bridge without delay; Ajanta didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark from The New York Instances.
The corporate’s chairman, Jaysukh Patel, spoke at a information convention Monday.
“This hanging bridge is a historic treasure of Morbi,” Mr. Patel stated, including that Ajanta had employed a subcontractor with expertise repairing bridges to satisfy “technical specs” and different necessities.
Mr. Yadav, the regional police chief, stated {that a} police case had been filed, and that 9 individuals, together with two firm managers, two ticket takers, two bridge repairmen and three safety guards, had been arrested on expenses of trying to commit culpable murder and of inflicting loss of life by negligence.
If historical past holds, it could be unlikely that any corporations or municipal officers face critical penalties. Infrastructure failures attributable to overcrowding are frequent in India and barely lead to accountability or change.