Father of 10-year-old boy who drowned in civic-run pool in Bhayandar on Sunday demands CCTV footage and answers; the deceased’s parents have demanded strict action against the contractor and the MBMC, holding them accountable for the tragedy
The Loknete Gopinath Munde Sports Complex in Bhayandar East, where the tragedy occurred; (left) Granth Mutha, whose father had enrolled him for swimming classes a week ago. Pics/Hanif Patel
A 10-year-old boy, Granth Mutha, drowned in a swimming pool at the Loknete Gopinath Munde Sports Complex in Bhayandar on Sunday, despite the presence of six lifeguards. Granth had joined swimming classes at the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC)-run facility for the summer holidays. The Navghar police have registered an accidental death report. The deceased’s parents have demanded strict action against the contractor and the MBMC, holding them accountable for the tragedy. According to the police, the incident occurred between 11 am and noon.
The Loknete Gopinath Munde Sports Complex in Bhayandar East, where the tragedy occurred on Sunday
Granth’s father, Hasmukh Mutha, told mid-day, “My son had just completed Std V. Just a week ago, he told me he wanted to learn swimming, so I enrolled him for classes. On Sunday, Granth went to the sports complex with four friends, accompanied by one of their parents. He entered the pool around 11 am, but around 11.45 am, he was found floating. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.” A police officer said, “We sent the body for post-mortem examination, and the cause of death was found to be drowning.”
Demanding the strictest action against the MBMC officials, contractor, and lifeguards responsible, Mutha said, “There were six lifeguards present at the time, yet they couldn’t save my child. My son died because of their negligence.” “I have demanded that CCTV footage of the pool area be checked to understand how the incident occurred. I will ensure that no such incident ever happens again,” he added.
Hasmukh Mutha, Granth Mutha’s father. Pics/Hanif Patel
Confirming that six lifeguards had failed to avert tragedy, Deepali Pawar, a community development officer with the MBMC, told mid-day, “We had awarded the contract to manage the pool to a private contractor for five years. We have asked the contractor to submit a report on the incident. We will forward it to the police. We are also reviewing the CCTV footage to understand what happened.”
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