Zagreb, 16 September 2025 (Hina/MIA) -- The Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad filed Tuesday an indictment against 13 suspects, including a former minister, over their role in the collapse of the canopy at the railway station in 2024, which resulted in the deaths of 16 people and sparked months of anti-government protests across the country.

Ex-Construction, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Goran Vesić, along with 12 others -- including his assistant and the head of the national railway company -- has been charged with endangering public safety, according to a statement from the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad.

News agency Beta reported that the prosecution has requested that all the accused be remanded in custody due to the risk of reoffending.

“The indictment proposes that the Higher Court in Novi Sad order detention for all defendants due to the continued significant public unrest, which could jeopardise the smooth and fair conduct of the criminal proceedings,” the Prosecutor’s Office stated.

It was also proposed that all accused be banned from holding public office, and that they be required to fully cover the costs of the criminal proceedings, Beta added.

The indictment refers to "enabling the use of the station building despite the fact that construction works were still ongoing and an occupancy permit had not been issued," the statement said.

Further charges relate to "the failure to maintain the structure of the station building, as well as criminal acts committed during the planning and construction phases of the renovation works at the Novi Sad railway station."

The indictment must be confirmed by the competent court.

The collapse of the concrete canopy sparked country-wide protests, including the blockade of universities, which has shaken the rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, a former ultranationalist who began advocating European Union membership in 2008.

Protesters, who blame corruption for the tragedy, are demanding early elections in the hope of removing Vučić and his party from power after 13 years in office.