Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 16 : Father of 11-year-old Vihaan, who died after a tree fell on the school bus amid heavy rains in Chembur, Mumbai, flagged "gaps" in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation committee report after the panel, reportedly, gave a clean chit to BMC officials.
Speaking to ANI, Vihaan's father, Gaurav Shrivastava, said that the committee imposed a penalty on the contractor while BMC officials and engineers were not held accountable. The family of the victim demanded justice and questioned the transparency of the inquiry committee formed by the BMC.
Gaurav Shrivastava said, "The report has many gaps; the penalty imposed is directed only at the contractor. While the error has been acknowledged, not everyone responsible for the mistake has been held accountable. There are also questions regarding the transparency of the inquiry committee itself; BMC officials are investigating the BMC--there is no independent panel involved."
"Thirdly, the findings suggest the fault lies entirely with the contractor, yet the BMC is responsible for supervision, inspection, and final approval of the report. Their engineers are not being held accountable. Our request is for a re-inquiry conducted by an independent panel comprising experts and neutral parties," he added.
Victim's relative Sant Khare said that they were shocked after the report was released. He urged the Maharashtra government to acknowledge the alleged gaps in the report and take strict action against those responsible for the incident.
"Before the report was released, officials kept visiting us, and we were reassured that the government had taken notice of the matter, would take strict action, and that Vihaan would get justice. However, as soon as we read the report in the media, we were shocked; it gave a clean chit to the officials and simply shifted the blame onto a contractor and a consultant. Our child is gone--nothing can bring him back at any cost--but our only wish is for him to receive justice. An 11-year-old--an only child--leaves home happy and playful, only for his body to return from school. We urge the government to acknowledge this issue and take strong action," Sant Khare said.
Another relative, Anubha Khare, said, "We want full justice and to know the truth behind this. Given how everyone had stepped forward initially, we felt there was government support, but the report itself was completely wrong; it shouldn't have been like that. It is an injustice. We want justice for him; he was a very talented young man."
11-year-old Vihaan passed away, while four others were injured after a roadside tree uprooted and fell on a school bus in Mumbai's Chembur region on June 30. According to BMC's Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB), the incident was reported at around 2:58 pm near Heritage Pride on Road Number 11 in Chembur.