9-year-old dies after pointed tool from construction site falls on his head

A nine-year-old boy who was hurt after a plumb bob from a construction site fell on his head while walking on footpath on Wednesday succumbed to injuries on Thursday.

The police have identified the deceased as Rudra Ketan Raut of Virbhadranagar in Baner, who was walking home with his mother Pooja, 30, when the incident took place near a construction site near Ganraj Chowk in Baner at around 2.45 pm.

Plumb bob is a pointed tool with suspended weight placed against vertical surfaces at construction sites to ensure it stands perpendicular to the horizontal level.

The police have arrested a construction worker, the contractor and the promoter of the project on charges of culpable homicide. The accused have been booked under Sections 308, 304 (a) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Rajkumar Kendre, assistant inspector, Chatuhshrungi Police Station, said, “The incident took place near a construction project named La Commercia. A plumb bob, also known as ‘olamba’ by construction workers, suspended with a string accidentally fell on Rudra’s head after the cord snapped. The minor was rushed to a nearby private hospital but succumbed to head injuries around 2 am on Thursday.

The police probe revealed that no safety net was installed at the construction site. “We have invoked culpable homicide charges against the worker who was responsible for handling the plumb bob. The contractor and the promoter of the project have also been booked and arrested,” Kendre said.

According to the police, the father of the minor, who was a student at a local school in Baner, works at a local fitness centre and his mother is a homemaker.

Meanwhile, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has issued stop work order to the construction site after the incident. The civic officials who inspected the project site after being alerted about the accident and found that many safety norms were not followed.