A 15-year-old girl, Aarika Srivastava, who was grievously injured when a tree fell from a construction site onto her auto-rickshaw in Khar last Sunday, is reportedly brain dead. She turned 15 on Wednesday but never regained consciousness. The first apnea test to determine brain death was conducted early on Thursday, according to Harish Kumar, father of the other injured friend, Harshita Kumar (21). Harshita remains critical and is scheduled to undergo surgery on Friday at Hinduja Hospital in Khar. A second apnea test, required at least six to eight hours after the first to officially declare brain death, had not yet been conducted at the time of reporting, hospital officials said.
Victim's Background and Family
Aarika lived on Film City Road in Goregaon, while Harshita resides in Santacruz West. Their fathers grew up together, and the children were close friends. Aarika's elder sister, Manasvi (19), a medical student, was also traveling with them in the auto but escaped with minor injuries. The auto driver also sustained minor injuries. Harish Kumar told TOI that Aarika dreamed of attending IIT. "We are victims in this case. We come from a humble middle-class background. Sumit (Aarika's father) and I grew up together, and so our children have grown up together too. This is a matter of negligence, and it is inhuman. We want to improve the system so that something like this doesn't happen to anyone else," he said.
Official Response and Legal Action
BJP corporator Hetal Gala, chairperson of the garden and market committee in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), said she was in touch with the family and visited them. "I was aware that the girl was kept on a ventilator as it was her birthday," she said. BMC officials stated that the tree was on private property and an FIR has been filed. Khar police on Monday booked the construction firm, Bluestone Properties, which is undertaking work at the site, for alleged negligence. The case was registered under Sections 290 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down, repairing or constructing buildings) and 125(b) (causing grievous hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Previous Warnings and Incident Details
An official from BMC's H west-ward garden department said the ward office had written to the senior inspector of Khar police station on May 11, a day after the mishap, flagging concerns over debris dumping around some trees. "They had dangerously tilted towards the roadside due to debris being dumped around its base," the official said. "Two trees—a Gulmohar and a Kailaspati—fell onto the auto carrying three female passengers and the driver." Police officials had earlier said the auto driver's statement had been recorded and he is a key witness in the case. The incident highlights issues of construction negligence and tree safety in Mumbai.
