DEAD TODDLER’S PARENTS AMONG THREE BOOKED IN BANDRA PUMP FIRE

Three people including the parents of the toddler, who died due to electrocution after the fire broke out in a security guard’s cabin in Bandra (west), have been booked for death due to negligence. The owner of the house have also been booked in the case which has been registered by fire officer at Bandra police station on Tuesday.

The toddler, identified as Baby, and her sister were in the pump room, where an illegally makeshift room was made in Shoaib Manzil’s compound on Perry Cross Road in Bandra.

In his complaint, the fire officer has stated the parents of 18-month-old girl Baby were ‘negligent’ who had left their toddler at home for their work. “We have not named anyone in the FIR and checking whether the father or the mother of the child was responsible. Also, the property where the fire broke out was unauthorised. So the owner of the property has been booked in the case,” said an officer attached to Bandra police station.

Baby’s father is a watchman and her mother is a housemaid.

The fire officials, on Monday, said electrical wires and household articles in the makeshift structure inside the pump room fuelled the fire. The BMC officials too visited the spot and found there was ‘unauthorised construction’ in the pump room, whose owner has told police that he has done no illegal construction.

“The current owner of pump room is a businessman, who bought the property from someone in resale almost seven years ago. The neighbours told the unauthorised construction was made almost 10 years ago. We are checking who was the owner of the property and who made the unauthorised construction in the pump room where the fire broke out,” said the officer.

With the help of electricity, house and water bills the Bandra police will determine the exact owner who made the unauthorised construction in the pump house.

“We have asked BMC to submit the details to these bills to ascertain the exact owner of the property,” he added.

No arrest has been made so far. The Bandra police have applied charges for death due to negligence (304A), causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others (337) and causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others (338) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

In his complaint, the fire officer has stated the parents of 18-month-old girl were ‘negligent’ to have left their toddler at home.“We have not named anyone in the FIR and checking whether the father or the mother of the child was responsible. Also, the property where the fire broke out was unauthorised. So the owner of the property has been booked in the case," he said