A 45-year-old man died after falling into an open manhole in Sakinaka area of Mumbai on Thursday. The deceased person has been identified as Aslam Sheikh.
The PTI report identified the deceased as 55-year-old Aslam Easaf Shaikh
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) fire brigade and other agencies were involved in the operation to rescue Aslam Sheikh, but to no avail.
This is the second death in Mumbai due to apathy of Asia's richest civic body BMC. Earlier, an eleven-year-old Ahan Srivastav was killed after a tree fell on his school van.
Meanwhile, the BMC claimed that Aslam Sheikh was talking over the phone and failed to notice the manhole. The entire area was waterlogged therefore the manhole would not have been visible for Aslam, it said. More importantly, the contractors who had undertaken the manhole cleaning works forgot to display a signboard and also left it uncovered leading to Aslam's death, BMC said.
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawade said that she has ordered the inquiry and once she receives the report, action will be taken against those who are responsible for this incident.
Footage from a CCTV camera installed on Khairani Road showed Aslam walking past a tempo and suddenly disappearing.
It also showed workers at the spot peering into the open manhole.
Officials said the workers lowered a ladder into the manhole to search for him, but found only his umbrella and slippers.
It was not immediately clear whether the manhole was connected to a sewer line or a stormwater drain.
Due to the strong flow of water, it was initially not possible to determine the direction in which he had been swept, officials said.
The man was later located some distance from where he had fallen, they said.
"A fireman equipped with breaching apparatus descended into the underground line and the man was pulled out," an official said.
He was rushed to the civic-run Rajavadi Hospital, where doctors declared him dead, the BMC official said.
Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi said the civic body will file a case against the contractor, holding him responsible for "homicide".
Kishori Pednekar, Shiv Sena (UBT) member and opposition leader in the BMC said it was shocking that such an incident could occur on a busy arterial road while civic work was in progress.
She questioned the absence of adequate safety measures around the open manhole.
Former MP and Shiv Sena leader Milind Deora described the manhole death as a preventable tragedy and demanded accountability.
"How many more Mumbaikars must die before basic civic safety becomes a priority? Open manholes are not "accidents", they are result of negligence, failed systems and lack of accountability," he wrote on X.
The matter was also raised in the Maharashtra assembly.
Speaker Rahul Narwekar called the manhole death a serious matter and said it amounted to "culpable homicide".
He also asked the state government to place a detailed statement in the House on the incident before the day's proceedings concluded.
Meanwhile, in a separate rain-related incident, a 26-year-old worker at a local sweet shop was electrocuted after coming into contact with a live wire in Bhiwandi town of the Thane district on Wednesday.
The deceased has been identified as Mustafa Shaikh. He is survived by his wife and a child.
According to police, the incident happened when Shaikh had gone to fetch a metal container from a nearby temple. On his way back, he came in contact with a live wire and suffered a massive electric shock.
As the news of his death spread, an irate mob of local residents and family members gathered at the hospital and staged a protest, alleging gross negligence on the part of the temple management and the power utility.
(With inputs from PTI)