Day after 6 children drown in Gurugram, developer booked for culpable homicide

On Sunday, six children, aged between eight and 13, drowned in the rainwater-filled pit, police said, adding locals informed the police control room around 5.30pm, following which PCR vans and a police team of Bajghera police station reached the spot

Police on Monday booked the director and founding chairman of M3M India private limited a day after six children allegedly drowned in a rainwater-filled pond in Sector 111, investigating officers said, adding no arrest has been made in connection with the case so far.

MCG workers pump out water from a temporary water body after six children who drowned on Sunday, near Shankar Vihar Colony, in Sector 111, Gurugram. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

However, M3M India in a statement on Monday said that they are not in the possession of the said land.

On Sunday, six children, aged between eight and 13, drowned in the rainwater-filled pit, police said, adding locals informed the police control room around 5.30pm, following which PCR vans and a police team of Bajghera police station reached the spot. National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, fire department and civil defence volunteers were soon called and a rescue operation was launched. It took authorities six hours to recover the bodies.

The children were identified as Durgesh, Ajit, Rahul, Piyush, Deva and Varun; all residents of Shankar Vihar Colony in Sector 111.

Dr Deepak Mathur, the forensic expert who conducted the autopsy on Monday, confirmed all the children died due to drowning. “This was a clear case of ante-mortem drowning,” he said.

The bodies were handed over to the family members on Monday and their cremation was held in Rajasthan and Sector 111, said police.

Police registered a case at Bajghera police station under sections 304 (ii) (culpable homicide) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code against Roop Bansal and Basant Bansal of M3M India private limited on Monday and said they will issue a notice to the developer to join the investigation.

Bajrang Prasad, one of the complainants in the case and the father of Deva (12), alleged that the developer was responsible for the deaths. “The soil was dug up from the area for the construction purpose and the area was left unattended,” he alleged.

Prasad said that they are demanding strict action against the developer.

Deputy commissioner of police Deepak Saharan said that they had received a complaint from the family members of the six children, following which their statements were recorded and a case registered. “We have registered a case against the M3M developer as they own the land as per the land records. We have launched a probe and are questioning lot of people in the area to check if the developer was negligent. The area comprises 18 acres of land, seven acres of which turned into a temporary water body due to the heavy rain. The children could not judge the depth and drowned,” he said.

Saharan said it was the developer’s responsibility to ensure the area was covered well or there were signages displayed around the land. “There were no barricading, warning signs or deployment of any security guards which could avert the mishap. According to the family members it was the first time that children had visited the area to play and bathe,” he said.

However, the developer attributed the incident to the heavy rain and clogging of water. “Six children drowned and lost their lives. Our deep condolences to the families of these children. We would like to clarify that M3M India is not in the possession of the said land and is not linked in any way with incident in the FIR against Basant Bansal, founder chairman of M3M India and Roop Bansal, director M3M India. The FIR is being defied,” an M3M spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the district administration on Monday started draining water from the spot.

Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said that at least six tractors were used for draining the site and that the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) will visit the site on Tuesday once the water is removed. “The SDM will investigate the case and submit a report within four days, following which we will act against the person found responsible. Also, we will issue a toll-free number for residents of areas where such water bodies are present,” he said.

Yadav said their prime focus is safety of residents and they have formed teams to identify such spots and resolve issues.

A police team has been stationed at the spot to ensure no one tries to enter the area that is still risky due to the deep pits and old wells as reported by locals.