Probe against sports officer after child dies in MBMC pool

The purpose of the inquiry is to determine the extent of the officer’s role and actions that possibly led to the tragic incident

Mumbai: Ten weeks after an 11-year-old boy drowned in a swimming pool run by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), a departmental inquiry has been ordered against civic sports officer Deepali Pawar Joshi, according to MBMC commissioner Radhabinod Sharma.

Probe against sports officer after child dies in MBMC pool

The purpose of the inquiry is to determine the extent of the officer’s role and actions that possibly led to the tragic incident. This was after Joshi’s reply to a show-cause notice was rejected, seeking an explanation regarding the incident, said Sharma.

The incident dates back to April 20, when Granth Mutha, who had enrolled in a 15-day summer vacation swimming camp, died after drowning in the swimming pool at the Gopinath Munde Sports Complex in Bhayandar East. A three-member committee, headed by MBMC additional commissioner Sambhaji Panpatte, to conduct an inquiry into the incident held the swimming pool management and contractor responsible for the mishap.

The committee’s probe found that the pool contractor, Saha Charitable Trust, failed to implement essential safety measures and provided incompetent staff to monitor the swimming camp. The committee also recommended cancelling the Saha Charitable Trust’s contract as disciplinary action against their negligence. However, the management did not cancel the contract. After the child’s father raised questions about the failure of the management to ensure the implementation of safety measures, the show cause notice was issued to the sport officer Deepali Pawar Joshi.

The Navghar police had booked Narayan Nayak and Hingoli Nayak—owners of Saha Charitable Trust—along with two lifeguards for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

In early June, the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC), taking cognisance of the incident, issued notices to Sharma and MBVV police commissioner Madhukar Pandey, directing them to submit comprehensive action-taken reports within a span of eight weeks. This was following a complaint filed by Advocate Krishna Gupta, a social activist, alleging that the child’s death was caused by systemic negligence. The MSHRC also ordered Sharma and Pandey to appear personally for the next hearing, scheduled on August 19.