Contractor booked for death of 3-year-old in Panvel

Mahi frequently went out to play with other kids and would often keep coming back home. That day, she left at 1pm and by around 1.30pm, Mahi’s mother started looking for her. Unable to find her anywhere, she looked for her at the construction site and found her drowned in water

Navi Mumbai The Panvel Government Railway Police (GRP) has booked a contractor for death by negligence of a three-year-old girl for the lack of security around the construction work taking place on the premises of Panvel railway station. The child, identified as Mahi Siddheshwar Waghmare, had accidentally fallen into a pit dug up to erect a pillar on the platform on December 21.

Contractor booked for death of 3-year-old in Panvel

“After conducting an investigation, negligence was found on the part of the contractor and hence FIR was registered. No arrests have been made yet and a notice would be issued as per the Supreme Court guidelines,” said senior police inspector Pravin Padvi from Panvel GRP.

The Panvel GRP registered a case against the contractor identified as Kumar Namdev Naik (60). Work on extention of a platform at Panvel railway station was going on and the pit was dug up to erect a pillar. But water had accumulated there over the period of time. The victim lived with her elder sister and parents in the Panchsheel Nagar slum near the railway station.

On December 21, while her mother was washing clothes, she told her that she was stepping out to play. According to her mother’s statement to the police, Mahi frequently went out to play with other kids and would often keep coming back home. That day, she left at 1pm and by around 1.30pm, Mahi’s mother started looking for her. Unable to find her anywhere, she looked for her at the construction site and found her drowned in water.