6-year-old dies after falling into unsecured metro pit in Mankhurd

Navi Mumbai: Just days after a labourer died in Vashi due to a contractor allegedly failing to follow safety protocols, another accident occurred at the ongoing construction site of the Metro in Mankhurd, resulting in the loss of life. On Sunday, a six-year-old boy from Mahatma Phule Nagar, Mankhurd, fell into an 8-foot-deep pit and lost his life. The pit had been dug by the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Limited (MRVC) for station improvement work.

The boy, identified as Ayush Rajesh Segokar, lived with his parents and sister at Mahatma Phule Nagar. He wandered away from his residential area while playing with friends and fell into the pit dug near the railway station. Commuters who witnessed the incident alerted the GRP. “Usually, the area is bustling with workers, but on Sunday, it was deserted, and the boy appears to have wandered into the site. With no fencing around the pit, the boy likely didn’t realise its presence and fell into it, resulting in his drowning,” Senior Police Inspector Sambhaji Katare.

“The names of the contractor, upon whom MRVC would have assigned responsibility for the work, are currently being investigated. However, a case has already been registered due to the absence of security measures around the construction site,” added Katare.

The Vashi Government Railway Police (GRP) registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the IPC against the supervisor and the engineer. The chief public relations officer of MRVC said, “It’s station improvement work by MRVC. The matter is under investigation by the Police department and the report is awaited.