Unknown contractor booked for negligence in 7-year-old’s death in waterlogged pit

MUMBAI: Two days after a seven-year-old boy died after falling into a waterlogged pit at the Nehru Nagar State Transport (ST) depot in Kurla, police have registered an FIR against an unknown person for causing death by negligence.

The deceased, Ujjwal Ravi Singh, lived in Milan Nagar with his mother and grandmother. His mother, a domestic worker and the family’s sole breadwinner following her husband’s death six months ago, lodged a complaint with the police.

The FIR, registered under Section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) alleges that a construction company dug a large pit at the depot and left it waterlogged without taking any safety precautions or deploying security personnel. Senior inspector Ankush Khedekar of the Nehru Nagar police station in Kurla stated, “An inquiry is underway to identify the responsible person or contractor. Once identified, legal action will follow.”

The incident unfolded on Saturday when Ujjwal and a group of boys entered the depot premises, which reportedly lacked security to prevent unauthorised entry. While playing, Ujjwal accidentally fell into the water-filled pit. His friends, frightened, ran to inform his family. By the time the family arrived, two individuals had managed to pull Ujjwal out of the pit and alerted the police. The boy was rushed to Rajawadi Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Initially, the police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR). However, following Ujjwal’s mother’s statement and preliminary investigations, they filed the FIR.

The residents of Milan Nagar have alleged that the pit was part of an ongoing construction project at the depot. They expressed anger over the lack of safety measures, accusing the contractor of negligence that led to the avoidable loss of a young life.

The Nehru Nagar police are now focusing their efforts on identifying the contractor and determining accountability for the incident.