Falling tree kills woman

Veda Ramaswamy, Mumbai,
June 29, 2012 - Mid Day

The torrential downpours have just begun in the city, and the monsoon menace has already claimed its first victim. Ashwini Satpute (24) lost her life in a tree-falling incident at Ganpatrao Kadam Marg in Lower Parel.

Crushed: As a strong gust of wind blew by, the tree fell on the victim. Pic/Sunit Mehta

“Around 11 am, she was on her way to work at Marathon Tower, accompanied by a friend. While her friend stopped for a snack, she decided to walk ahead. It was raining and suddenly a strong gust of wind blew by and a tree fell on her,” mourned Suresh Satpute, the victim’s father. 

Her friend and bystanders rushed her to KEM hospital. “She was brought here in a critical state, and she succumbed to her injuries at 12.45 pm,” said Dr Pravin Bangar.

An accidental death report has been registered at NM Joshi Marg police station. “We are yet to visit the accident spot. Only after our inspection can we comment whether the tree was on BMC or private land,” said PSI Dattatray Sanab. 

Link to the original article here.

10-yr-old caught in collision between two dumpers

Veda Ramaswamy and Anuradha Varanasi, Mumbai,
June 28, 2012 - Mid Day

The boy, who was playing with his friends, ventured into restricted area at Deonar dumping ground despite being warned against doing so

Dead end: As one of the dumpers was driving on the wrong side of the road, the two collided, with Shahrukh caught in between

Not paying heed to rules and warnings often leads to mishap, and yesterday afternoon was no different. A 10-year-old boy from Shivaji Nagar, who was playing with friends at Deonar dumping ground, was severely injured in an accident involving two dumper trucks. In spite of entry into the area being prohibited to all but the workers, the boy and his friends had ventured in, ignoring a warning from his own father.

At around noon, Shahrukh Sheikh, who was playing with his friends, went to the middle of the road, unaware of the two garbage dumpers that were approaching him from either end. As one of the dumpers was driving on the wrong side of the road, the two collided, with Shahrukh caught in between.

“The two vehicles were coming from opposite directions, and Shahrukh was playing with his school friends. He was so engrossed in the game that he failed to notice the dumpers plying on the road. We had warned him not to play in that area, but he did not listen to us,” said Ayub Sheikh, his father.

After the mishap, his friends alerted his family members, who immediately took him to Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General (LTMG) Hospital, where he was admitted to the emergency ward at 2:15 pm.

“He is suffering from blunt chest trauma and abdominal injuries. His blood pressure is very low. He is in a state of consciousness, but will be kept under observation tonight,” said Dr Rakesh Verma, assistant dean, LTMG hospital.

No complaint has been registered yet with the police. Ravikant Kadam, assistant sub-inspector of Shivaji Nagar police station, said, “One of the dumpers (MH01L5622) was driving on the wrong side of the lane. If a complaint is registered, the driver could be arrested under Sections 338 and 279 of the Indian Penal Code, but the family is reluctant to do so, as the victim had entered a prohibited area.”  

Link to the original article here.

13-year-old drowns in construction pit

Veda Ramaswamy and Saurabh Katkurwar, Navi Mumbai,
June 26, 2012 - Mid Day

Deceased failed to come up after jumping into a 30-feet water filled pit in the middle of a Navi Mumbai construction site, builders blamed for violating rules

Dead: Lifeguards pulled out the body of Abhishek Bharadwaj who was drowned in a 30-ft hole that was dug within a construction site opposite Sanpada railway station

Just a day after the tragic death of Mahi from Haryana, whose lifeless body was pulled out of a borewell on Sunday, a boy from Sanpada died under similar circumstances. Abhishek Bharadwaj (13) yesterday drowned in a 30-feet hole that was dug within a construction site opposite Sanpada railway station.

According to police officers from Turbhe police station, at around 1.30pm on Monday, Abhishek had visited the spot with two of his school friends to take a swim. He took a plunge into the water from a nearby wall, unaware of the depth. The hole was situated within the 22-25 meter long and 15-20 meter wide construction site.

When he failed to come up, Abhishek’s friends informed their school authorities immediately, who in turn alerted the NMMC fire brigade. The rescue operation continued for four hours, but his lifeless body was pulled out by Bholenath Chavan, a lifeguard at the NBC Club who happened to pass by.

“I was on my way to work when I noticed a huge crowd at the construction site. On knowing what had happened, I started searching for the boy myself. After a 30 minute search, I found his body, but he wasn’t breathing. I handed over the body to the firemen and left,” said Chavan. The NMMC officials took the body to a nearby municipal hospital, where he was declared dead.

When asked whether the construction site lacked vigilance, JN Sinnarkar, deputy municipal commissioner of NMMC, said, “As per rules, we are not bound to hire life guards. However, if a case of drowning happens, we call professional lifeguards. The land belongs to two developers, and it was their duty to have at least provided some security personnel at the site. It is not our responsibility to allot lifeguards at a private land,” said Sinnarkar. The NMMC have now filed a FIR against the two developers at the Turbhe police station.

The builder who dug the hole, apparently did not obtain permission from the NMMC to start construction on the land. Sagar Naik, mayor of Navi Mumbai, who visited the spot, declared that the builder will be reprimanded if he has violated the rules. “I have come to know that the builder, who has dug up the holes, has not taken any permission from the corporation. We do not know who has started the construction here, so we will take strong action against the builder after investigation of the matter,” said Naik.

Link to the original article available here.

Swallowing mystery object claims 4-year-old's life

Veda Ramaswamy, Mumbai
June 5, 2012 - Mid Day

Mother says toddler gestured with hands that something was stuck in his throat after he came home from play

Grief-stricken: Suvarna and Shashikant Sawant grieving Manthan’s loss

Tragedy struck Suvarna and Shashikant Sawant, when their four-year-old son, Manthan, was declared dead on arrival at Ghatkopar’s Rajawadi Hospital around 11 am yesterday. However, mystery shrouds Manthan’s death, as he was hale and hearty when he left home to play with his colony friends. The Sawants are residents of Gautam Nagar in Govandi.

“Manthan had chapati with jam and a couple of rava ladoos for breakfast following which he left home to play with his colony friends. However, he came back within 10 minutes. He was feeling restless and started vomiting,” said Suvarna. She also said that Manthan was gesturing with his hands that something was stuck in his throat and she thumped his back, hoping that it would help him get it out. But Manthan collapsed in her lap, and stopped breathing.

“The incident occurred around 10 am in the morning. We immediately rushed him to Sai Kripa Hospital in Chembur. The hospital staff advised us to admit him to Rajawadi hospital, as they lacked ICU facility. But he was declared dead on arrival at Rajawadi,” said Suvarna. His aunt said, “All of us had the same breakfast and sweets. Nothing has happened to any of us. I am certain that he might have swallowed some object, maybe a coin while playing, which led to his unfortunate death.”

“The autopsy report is not yet out. Once we have it, only then can we confirm the exact cause of his death,” said Pandit Sonawane, API, Deonar police station. A case has been registered under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (doubt regarding the cause of death). Till last night, the police officials were still awaiting the report, so that they could give Sawants the permission to claim the toddler’s body and perform last rites.

“Two months ago, he had fallen off a moving truck, and had injured his jaw. But he made it through that. Little did I know that his life would come to such an abrupt end. He was supposed to start schooling this month,” mourned Suvarna. 

Remembering Manthan as an energetic and a playful child, Supriya, a neighbour, said, “He used to play all day long. He was a very active boy. We thought he would become a sportsperson someday. Of all the children, he was his grandmother’s beloved and she would fondly call him ‘Sonya’."

Link to original article available here.

17-yr-old cyclist dies under BEST wheels

Anuradha Varanasi and Veda Ramaswamy, Mumbai
June 4, 2012 - Mid Day

Teenager sustained grievous head and chest injuries after bus rammed him from behind; succumbed to injuries before he could reach the hospital.

In yet another case of rash driving by a BEST driver, a 17-year-old boy lost his life when the bus driver rammed the teen’s bicyle from behind at Dadar (W) yesterday.

The boy, identified as Shubham Shinde, a Std X student of Sharadashram Vidyamandir School, was on his way to his tuition classes when tragedy struck.

The bus conductor rushed the youth to KEM Hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police said the accident happened close to Portuguese Church at 10.45 am, in which Shubham suffered severe head and chest injuries.

The bus driver Sanjeev Jandev Bholnagale (44) has been placed under police custody and has been booked under section 304A of the IPC (causing death by negligence).

The young boy’s father, Ram Krishna Shinde (48), is a head constable at the Mumbai Police’s Social Service branch (SS) at Crawford Market, and the family resides at Worli police camp.

In mourning

“The family members are in a state of shock right now. The post mortem of the boy has been conducted and an FIR has been lodged against the bus driver by the father,” said Balakrishna Ghadigaonkar, assistant police inspector at Dadar police station.

Speaking to MiD DAY, the victim’s father said, “My son had breakfast and left home as usual for his classes. But at around 11:30 am we got a call from KEM Hospital notifying us about the accident. When we reached the hospital, we were informed about his death. My family will leave for our native place in Satara to perform his last rites.”

They were informed about what happened at the scene by the cops. “I wonder why God has snatched my son away. We are devastated,” he added.

Link to the original article available here.