MUMBAI: “Why don’t tragedies like this happen to politicians? Why do only the poor have to deal with them,” Shaista Shaikh asked mayor Ritu Tawde at Rajawadi Hospital, where Aslam Shaikh’s body was taken for a post-mortem examination. Shaista is Aslam’s sister-in-law, the most outspoken in the family.
Her words summed up the family’s anger and helplessness at losing 55-year-old Aslam, the eldest of four brothers who fell into an open, unbarricaded manhole at Saki Naka on Thursday. When Tawde promised the family ₹10 lakh as compensation for their loss, Aslam’s brother Salim retorted, “He was priceless for us.”
All four brothers were daily wagers. Aslam, who lived in Shankarshet chawl at Saki Naka’s Yadav Nagar, loaded material into trucks on Khairani Road, not far from where he lived. “He would hire workers to get debris and mud loaded onto tempos,” said Salim.
Aslam was walking to work, not far from home, when he slipped into the open sewer. Noticing the commotion, Aslam’s brother Rashid rushed over. He recognised his brother’s slippers and umbrella near the open manhole, recovered by bystanders, but his brother was nowhere in sight. He then checked CCTV footage recorded by nearby shops and saw Aslam fall into the drain.
Eyewitnesses said the manhole had no protecting grille, nor was it barricaded. “The workers had opened it and were on a tea break when Aslam fell in. The road was not flooded and the manhole was visible, they said. Aslam was apparently talking on his mobile phone and probably didn’t notice the open drain. A fellow pedestrian tried to grab Aslam as he fell – he snagged Aslam’s umbrella instead,” said Tahir Hashmi, a local shopkeeper.
{{/usCountry}}Eyewitnesses said the manhole had no protecting grille, nor was it barricaded. “The workers had opened it and were on a tea break when Aslam fell in. The road was not flooded and the manhole was visible, they said. Aslam was apparently talking on his mobile phone and probably didn’t notice the open drain. A fellow pedestrian tried to grab Aslam as he fell – he snagged Aslam’s umbrella instead,” said Tahir Hashmi, a local shopkeeper.
{{/usCountry}}Local residents said the fire brigade had a tough time finding Aslam’s body, eventually locating it a good 100 metres away. “When rescuers spotted a body in a manhole there, they were not sure who it was. Aslam’s wife identified his body on recognising his shirt, said Mahendra Bhanushali, a first responder. Aslam’s wife Anjum, who works with D-Mart, rushed to the spot on hearing of the accident.
Their son Ali, 24, recently started working at a back office in Marol. “He is in shock and hasn’t even shed a tear,” says Shaista. Aslam’s daughter was inconsolable.
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