Decomposed body found in slum toilet of Vile Parle East

Mumbai: A decomposed body of a man was found on Monday in the Mahatma Kabir Nagar Slum Municipal Toilet Block in Vile Parle East

Mumbai: A decomposed body of a man was found on Monday in the Mahatma Kabir Nagar Slum Municipal Toilet Block in Vile Parle East. Residents discovered the body after a foul smell started emitting from the toilet. They opened the septic tank and found the body.

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The wife of the deceased had lodged a missing persons complaint at the Vile Parle police station on December 15. After the body was found, an accidental death report was filed, but the details of how the death took place were unclear, said a police officer.

A former corporator from the area, Nicholas Almedia said, “Residents informed me that they found a body that had fallen in the septic tank of the toilet,” he said.

An activist, Godfrey Pimenta, from the Watchdog Foundation, then wrote to the BMC, Mumbai Police and chief minister about the death.

“It has come to our attention that a serious lapse on the part of a contractor, in collaboration with K East Ward Officials, has led to this unfortunate incident,” he wrote. “We request your immediate intervention in this matter to ensure that justice is served for the victim and his family. Additionally, we urge you to initiate inspections of all toilet blocks within the jurisdiction, as there is a growing concern that substandard materials are being used, thereby compromising the safety of the public.”

An official from the K East ward, however, said that, while the toilet was built by them, it was handed over to a local community-based organisation (CBO).

“The public using the toilet were reluctant to give monthly expenses to the CBO, so they stopped working. The toilet has an underground water tank with an MS cover. The person may have tried to open the cover to take water from the tank and then fallen down. The BMC is not responsible for it,” said the official.