Mira-Bhayandar News: FIR Filed Against Instructors, Trust After 11-Year-Old Boy Drowns In MBMC Sports Complex Swimming Pool; MNS Stages Protest

Mira-Bhayandar: In the tragic incident which claimed the life of a 11-year-old boy who drowned in the swimming pool of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC)-owned sports complex on Sunday, the Navghar police have registered an offence for causing death due to negligence against four instructors, contractual agency and the management of the establishment.

While the names of the instructors have been inked in the FIR registered under sections 106 (causing death due to negligence) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, the police have mysteriously shied away from naming the actual culprits who operated and managed the sports complex under the aegis of Saahas Charitable Trust. The accused instructors have been identified as- Narayan Nayak (28), Hingola Nayak (20), Prathamesh Kadam (25) and Arjun Kadam (23).

However, none of them had been arrested so far. The incident which exposes the shoddy safety measures for learning swimmers, had been reported at around 10:30 am on Sunday when the deceased boy identified as- Granth Hasmukh Mutha (11)- resident of Mahadev Heights in the Planetaria Complex of Bhayandar (west) had gone to learn swimming in the summer camp organized by a private agency roped in by the trust which has been hired by the civic administration to run the sports complex.

Around 35 children had registered their participation in the 15-day camp. Granth, who drowned in the swimming pool was pulled out and taken to a private hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. Initially an accidental death report (ADR) was registered.

However, the boy’s father-Hasmukh Mutha blamed sheer negligence and apathy towards providing trained life guards and proper life-saving arrangements which according to him led to the tragedy, following which an FIR for negligence was registered. The civic administration had hired the trust to run the sports complex which is located in the Golden Nest area of Bhayandar (east).

MNS Stages Mock Funeral.

Alleging kids-glove treatment being meted out to the trustees and those managing the sports complex, on the behest of an influential politician, activists of the local Maharashtra Nav-Nirman Sena (MNS) staged a mock funeral to register their protest against the civic and police administration.

“It is clear that the trust and management is more interested in minting money than providing basic facilities and ensuring safety arrangements for visiting members-mainly children who come here to get trained in various sporting activities. Sub-contracts had been illegally doled out in violation of rules for passing monetary benefits and please politically backed party workers. Civic officials are equally responsible for the death.” said MNS leader-Sachin Popley who threatened to launch an intensified agitation if all the culprits were not arrested and the MBMC failed to terminate the contract.