3-year-old girl killed in hit-and-run in Vashi

Protesters raised slogans demanding justice, and accused the authorities of failing to ensure the safety of pedestrians, especially homeless children who are vulnerable to such accidents

Navi Mumbai: A three-and-half-year-old girl was run over by a speeding white car in Vashi’s Sector-17 on Sunday morning, leading to protests among the homeless. The child, Jiesha Janesh Ghosale, was walking behind her mother and siblings when the vehicle allegedly hit her and sped away without stopping.

3-year-old girl killed in hit-and-run in Vashi

The police said that the victim lived with her family under the bridge near Vashi Plaza. The family had gone for breakfast to a roadside stall around 10am, and while they were walking back, the car hit her. Bystanders rushed the girl to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries during treatment, said the police.

Following the incident, a group of the area’s homeless gathered outside the Vashi Police Station, asking for immediate action against the unidentified driver. The police said that the protesters raised slogans demanding justice, and accused the authorities of failing to ensure the safety of pedestrians, especially homeless children who are vulnerable to such accidents.

The police are scanning CCTV footage from nearby areas to trace the vehicle. The unknown driver has been booked for rash and negligent driving and an FIR has been registered under sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence) and 281 (negligent driving) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and section 134 (A) and (B) (duty of driver) and 184 (dangerous driving) of the Motor Vehicles Act.