BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has alleged that Bhavesh Bhinde, director of advertising firm Ego Media Pvt Ltd, paid Rs 46 lakh as a bribe to the wife of the then Government Railway Police (GRP) Commissioner Quaiser Khalid. This alleged bribe was in exchange for permission to install a hoarding that collapsed last month, resulting in significant loss of life and injuries.
Somaiya detailed these allegations in a series of posts on social media platform X. He claimed that Ego Media Pvt Ltd paid a total of Rs 5 crore to various railway police and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials for "two dozen illegal hoardings" in the Ghatkopar and Dadar areas of Mumbai.
In his posts, Somaiya stated, "Proof & Bank Entries of ?46 lacs Bribes detected by Police SIT. Bhavesh Bhinde paid ?46 lacs to Kaiser Khalid (Railway Police Commissioner) via Mohammad Arshad Khan." He further alleged that the money was deposited in Mahapatra Garments Pvt Ltd.
The former BJP MP has written to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging him to suspend Quaiser Khalid for what Somaiya termed the "Ghatkopar Hoardings Scam BRIBE." He shared documents and bank entries that he claims substantiate the bribe allegations.
The controversy centers around a tragic incident on May 13, when a giant hoarding collapsed in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area during gusty winds and unseasonal rains, killing 17 people and injuring more than 70 others. The hoarding was erected on land owned by the GRP, with permission granted to Ego Media Pvt Ltd for a ten-year period by then-GRP Commissioner Quaiser Khalid.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to probe the hoarding collapse. According to Somaiya, Bhavesh Bhinde transferred Rs 46 lakh to Mahapatra Garments Pvt Ltd during 2022-23, implicating Mohammad Arshad Khan as an intermediary in the transaction.
As of now, five individuals have been arrested in connection with the Ghatkopar hoarding tragedy. Somaiya has called for further action against railway police and BMC officials involved in the case.
