FIR filed against PWD officials & Google manager for negligence

Shahjahanpur: Following the tragic deaths of three individuals when a taxi plunged off a damaged bridge on the Bareilly-Badaun road on Saturday night, an FIR has been lodged against four Public Works Department (PWD) officials and a regional manager of Google.

The complaint was filed by the Naib Tehsildar of Dataganj Tehsil at the Dataganj police station on Monday.

The accused include PWD’s provincial division engineers Ajay Gangwar, Maharaj Singh, Mohammad Arif and Abhishek Kumar, along with Google’s regional manager. The FIR also names unidentified locals for failing to provide timely warnings about the bridge’s condition.

The bridge, connecting Faridpur and Badaun, had a severely damaged section known to PWD officials. However, they allegedly failed to place barricades or signage to alert commuters about the obstruction, leaving the route open despite the risks. The absence of safety measures was deemed gross negligence, directly contributing to the fatalities. The Naib Tehsildar also held the Google regional manager accountable, claiming that the navigation system did not provide updated information about the bridge’s damaged state, leading unsuspecting travellers onto the perilous route.

The accident occurred on Saturday night when a car carrying three people fell 25 feet into a river from the damaged bridge. The victims were identified as Kaushal Kumar from Mainpuri and Amit Kumar and Vivek Kumar from Farrukhabad. All three succumbed to their injuries at the scene.

The Dataganj police have initiated an investigation into the matter.