Contractor booked for negligence

MUMBAI: The Trombay police has booked the contractor and supervisor who were responsible for cleaning the drainage line in Cheetah Camp for causing death due to negligence, three days after a three-year-old boy fell and drowned in the drain. No arrests have been made yet, but a strong case is being put together to trap the accused.

According to sources, had drain where Arihant Parvez Tamboli drowned on Thursday been cleaned before the monsoon, this incident could have been averted. Since there was a delay in cleaning the drain, the water was flowing out from one end, which led to the child’s demise.

Sunil Gaokar, senior police inspector of Trombay police station, said, “We have booked the contractor and supervisor who were in charge of cleaning the drain in which the boy fell. The duo has been booked under section 304 (A) of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to causing death due to negligence.”

Mr Gaokar added, “No arrests have been made yet, and the probe is underway. If any civic official is found guilty due to negligence in this case, he or she too will be booked under the same sections of the IPC.” Arihant was reportedly with his mother when the incident happened on Thursday.

A level-0 drowning was reported to the civic disaster management department, and the boy was taken to the hospital around 2.30 pm. According to the BMC officials, the ward staff rescued the boy. “The boy was already dead when he was brought to the hospital,” said Dr Rajhhri Jhadhav from Shatabdi Hospital.

“Due to heavy rains, the drains had overflowed and water started coming out of the culvert, the boy ran towards the culvert to play in the water and got drowned. The contractor appointed by the civic body for desilting work has not completed work till now. The garbage is still clogged in the drains,” alleged Shanawaz Shaikh, area councillor.