Mumbai: After the incident in Goregaon, where a nine-year-old miraculously emerged unscathed after being run over by a car in a residential building on Monday, his parents, the Mathurs, are so traumatised that they will not let him go out to play by himself. He can now play with his friends only under adult supervision. Also upset by the uncalled for media attention since the shocking incident, the Mathurs have chosen to interact through the building intercom instead of a face-to-face conversation. “Our son, who sustained minor scratches on the knees and head in the incident, still pleads with us to let him go play with his friends. However, now we are too scared to let him go out on his own,” the Mathurs said.
They were also not interested in pursuing the matter further. However, police, neighbours and friends insisted they register a case against Shraddha Chandrakar, 42, the woman who ran over the Mathurs’ son on Monday. To show their support to the Mathurs, neighbours and friends have ostracised Chandrakar, who resides in the same complex. The Mathurs are also planning a break over the weekend to get away from the media glare and avoid watching the television channels replay their horror over and over again.
On Friday, The Free Press Journal had reported that residents had demanded the cancellation of Chandrakar’s licence. However, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials said it could not be cancelled as it had not been issued in Maharashtra, but Chhattisgarh. The RTO are likely to write to their Chhattisgarh counterparts to cancel her licence after this serious occurence.
The incident took place in the building compound when the children were playing football on Monday evening. Video footage from the CCTV camera in the building premises showed boys at play, including the nine-year-old, who sits down to tie his untied shoelace. A car parked near him suddenly ‘springs to life’ and the driver turns and it appears as if the boy is going to be run over because the driver has failed to notice him near her car, as she gets into the vehicle. She drives over him and moves on, unaware, and afterwards, the boy stands up miraculously unscathed, looking slightly shaken and blithely proceeds to resume his game. Evidently, he had the presence of mind to lie flat on the ground, in the centre of the car’s path.
Interestingly, from the video, it is apparent none of his companions noticed this incident, as they had their backs to the boy. They can be seen carrying on with their game, while their companion has a close shave.