Bhavesh Bhinde, owner of Ego Media, was arrested and taken into police custody on May 16, as per reports. Bhinde is the owner of of the media site and giant illegal ad hoarding that collapsed and killed 14 people and injured 75. The billboard crashed during a dust storm and unseasonal rains which lashed Mumbai. Bhinde has been charged with culpable homicide, accoring to reports. Bhinde was arrested by Mumbai Police Crime Branch in Udaipur and was brought to Mumbai.
After the collapse of the illegal hoarding, the BMC issued notices to the Central Railways and the Western Railways administrations to take down oversized hoardings present on their lands.
The BMC said in a release issued on May 15, that the notices have been sent to the authorities for the removal of hoardings above 40 x 40 feet size, under Section 30 (2) (V) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The BMC, as per reports, has already removed a large hoarding of a sweet shop outside Malad railway station in Mumbai. Several citizens had complained about the hoarding via social media.
Bhinde, who was able to secure contracts from the Indian Railways and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in early 2024, had a short unsuccessful political journey in 2009, when an affidavit revealed 23 criminal cases against him.
Before Ego Media, Bhinde was running Guju Ads, but was blacklisted by BMC due to multiple legal issues.
#FreeOurSkylines – Fight against illegal ad hoardings: A terrible tragedy struck on May 13 after a 100-foot-tall illegal billboard fell at a petrol pump in Ghatkopar during dust storms and unseasonal rains in Mumbai. The killer hoarding caused the deaths of over a dozen people and injured many others. The catastrophic incident outraged citizens who have been dealing with the menace of illegal ad hoardings. The people don’t want just answers but solutions, as they turn to civic authorities, advertising agencies, industry bodies, brand marketers, and media owners, to take responsibility and fight against the menace of illegal advertising hoardings. So speak up and join the #FreeOurSkylines movement. Write to us at Storyboard18@nw18.com with your concerns and views, and let’s make our cities safer together.