Two brothers, aged 4 and 5, drown in BMC garden water tank

Their bodies were discovered in the civic garden in Wadala, in a water tank which did not have any lid, and police officials are in the process of booking the concerned Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) staff for causing death by negligence

MUMBAI: Two sons of a utensil seller aged 4 and 5 years, who were reported missing on Sunday, were found dead on Monday. Their bodies were discovered in the civic garden in Wadala, in a water tank which did not have any lid, and police officials are in the process of booking the concerned Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) staff for causing death by negligence.

Mumbai, India - March 18, 2024: Mother Sonu manoj kavtiya, resident of Subhas Nagar, Wadala bridge, sits beside notice board, after her 2 sons, Ankush age 6 and Arjun age 4, died due to drowning in open water tank yesterday, at Maharshi Karve Udyan at Wadala, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, March 18, 2024. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

The Matunga police registered a kidnapping case on Sunday night after Manoj Wagari, 30, complained that his sons, 4-year-old Arjun and 5-year-old Ankush, were missing. A resident of Subhash Nagar slums near Wadala bridge, Wagari told the police that his children left home at 9.30am that morning and went to play at the Maharashi Karve Garden in Wadala West, as it was their holiday.

“The boys didn’t return home and the family was unable to find them even after looking for them for the whole day. They eventually approached us late in the evening and we registered a kidnapping case under section 363 of the Indian Penal Code, after which we started a search for the missing children,” said a police officer from Matunga police station.

On Monday, while family members were searching for the boys at the Maharashi Karve Garden, they noticed that the paper covering the water tank was torn; when they peeped in, they found the boys had drowned in the tank, said the officer.

“They removed the bodies and informed the police. The RAK Marg police reached the spot immediately and rushed the boys to Sion Hospital where they were declared dead. The bodies had become stiff because of lying in water for hours and we suspect they fell in the tank on Sunday morning itself,” said the police officer.

“This happened due to negligence on the part of the BMC staff who maintain the park,” said Kanji Wagari, uncle of the deceased children. “We want the police to register an offence against them.”

Police officials said they had registered an accidental death report (ADR) in the matter. “The civic staff is claiming that lids covering the water tank were stolen as it was located in an isolated part. But the fact remains that they did not install new lids. We are registering an offence against the concerned staff for causing death by negligence under section 304A of the Indian Penal Code,” said the police officer.