Death toll rises to 7 in dargah wall collapse near Humayun’s Tomb

 NEW DELHI

TThe death toll in the partial collapse of Dargah Masjid Pattawali, located near the boundary wall of Humayun’s Tomb, rose to seven on Saturday after another injured man succumbed at Safdarjung Hospital.

An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Hemant Tiwari.

Confusion continues over who is responsible for the upkeep of the dargah.

ASI officials summoned

A senior police officer said imam Mohammad Rafi was interrogated and officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have been summoned. “Since the dargah is situated on land owned by the ASI, we have summoned its officers. However, we are yet to interrogate them,” the officer said.

A senior ASI official said the property comes under the Delhi Waqf Board.

Azimul Haque, CEO of the Delhi Waqf Board, told The Hindu that the dargah qualifies as a “waqf by user”– a property used for worship or charity without formal documentation.

“By that definition, the dargah is a waqf property, but no concerns about the structure’s condition were flagged to us,” he said.

The police have identified five of the seven deceased as Swaroop Chand (79), a resident of Malkaganj, Moinuddin (37), Anita Saini (58), a resident of Bhogal, Meena Arora (56) and her daughter, Monu Arora (25), both residents of Vasant Kunj Enclave. Five persons who were injured in the incident have been identified as Mohammad Shameem, Aryan, Gudiya, Rafat Parveen, and Rani Devi.