Gurugram residents hold rally seeking justice for 5-year-old who drowned in pool

Hundreds of Gurugam residents held a rally on Sunday to demand justice for Mevansh Singla, a five-year-old boy who drowned in the swimming pool at BPTP Park Serene in Sector 37D on July 24

Hundreds of Gurugam residents held a rally on Sunday to demand justice for Mevansh Singla, a five-year-old boy who drowned in the swimming pool at BPTP Park Serene in Sector 37D on July 24.

Mevansh Singla. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

The rally started at the main gate of BPTP Park Serene at 9am. The residents, displaying posters with ‘Justice for Mevansh’ on their cars, gathered from Park Serene, Spacio, Generation, and Terra, along with residents from BPTP Astoria Sector 102 and nearby societies from Sector 37C and D, and drove to the deputy commissioner’s residence. They shouted slogans outside the DC’s residence, demanding accountability and strict action against the builder responsible for the tragedy. At the DC’s residence, assistant commissioner of police Surrender Singh and tehsildar Rakesh Malik met with the residents for a lengthy discussion.

The protest was organised following a letter submitted to the DC on July 30 in which residents had sought action against the persons responsible. Despite the submission, no action was taken, prompting Sunday’s demonstration, said protestors. The residents have also demanded action against the authorities for “overall negligence”.

The swimming pool in BPTP Park Serene residential condominium in Gurugram Sector 37D. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Hemant Kumar, vice president of the Park Serene residents welfare association, said that Rakesh Malik, appointed by the DC to address the concerns, requested detailed information from the protestors. “An email was sent by Pankaj Yadav, a Supreme Court advocate and resident supporting the cause for justice for Mevansh. Residents highlighted that the Occupancy Certificate (OC) for the community centre/club was issued in January 2024, despite the builder operating the club since December 2022,” he said.

Following the protest, the ACP instructed residents to visit the Sector 10A police station for further discussion. At least 10 protesters, including the president of Park Serene RWA, attended the meeting, which lasted for over an hour.

“The delay in action and the lack of response from the authorities have only added to our grief and frustration. We will not rest until those responsible are held accountable. Our community is united in seeking justice for Mevansh,” said Satyavir Sangwan, a resident.

“We have been complaining about the safety and security concerns in the society for almost two years, but no action has been taken so far. All of us have been shocked by this loss and cannot remain silent anymore. The management of BPTP must be held accountable for their negligence, as we had a similar incident happen last year in April when a child was saved by a resident instead of the deployed lifeguard, who was busy on his phone,” said Hemant Kumar, vice president of the Park Serene RWA.