A wedding function in Mumbai's Bhandup West turned tragic when a 25-year-old man died after accidentally falling into a 30-foot septic tank pit in an under-construction SRA building. The incident occurred around 11:30 pm on Thursday when the victim, Bhalchandra Falle, was chasing some men who allegedly made gestures at a woman attending the wedding.
Sequence of Events
According to fire brigade officials, the pit was covered with metal and wooden planks. When people stepped on them to rescue the first victim, the planks slipped, creating gaps. About five wedding attendees and three labourers who attempted to rescue Falle also fell into the pit, which contained up to 5 feet of water. Locals and labourers managed to pull out nine individuals using a ladder and sent them to hospitals. The fire brigade team rescued one more person, a 43-year-old man, and moved him to hospital.
Rescue Operation
A fire brigade team led by Assistant Divisional Fire Officer D M Patil, along with station officers Ashish Adhangale and M A Jadhav, conducted the rescue. Submersible pumps were deployed to drain the murky water. The operation continued through Friday, with the BMC ward office also providing a dewatering pump. The entire pit was drained by around 3 pm on Friday.
Police Investigation
DCP (Zone VII) Hemraj Rajput stated that a group, including a 21-year-old woman, was standing outside the wedding hall when three to four youngsters waved at them. Confusion over whether gestures were made led to a fight. The wedding party chased the youngsters, and one of them ran into the under-construction building. In the melee, Falle fell into the septic tank and died. When others tried to pull him out, the temporary platform gave way, causing more injuries.
An FIR has been registered against Shraddha Developers, the builder, under sections 106(1), 125, 125(a), 125(b), and 290 of the BNS for causing death due to negligence. A Bhandup police officer said the investigation will probe negligence and whether the deceased should have entered the building.
Injured and Deceased
Bhalchandra Falle (25) was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. Two injured, Shreyas Surve (25) and Harishankar Karva (43), are admitted to hospitals and are stable. Others discharged after treatment include Aniket Kadam (26), Jaideep Shah (21), Sanket Juwatkar (25), Aditya Aaher (26), Aniket Patil (20), Ankit Rohit (19), Jaywant Farsane (31), and Raman Yadav (26).
