A pall of gloom descended on Ambedkar Chowk on Goregaon-Mulund Link Road on Friday as residents received no word about Divyansh Singh, the 18-month-old boy who has been missing since he fell into a gutter on Wednesday night.
Mamta Kharwar, Divyansh’s aunt, said the boy’s mother, Sandhya, kept going to the spot where her son fell. “I have to keep an eye on her and assure her that everyone is searching for her son. We are turning away visitors because every time someone comes, she thinks they have good news.”
Anita Kharwar, another aunt, said, “She is in shock and will take a long time to be normal again. None of us has slept since Wednesday night. We have lost our appetite. Divyansh’s siblings have also not gone to school. They are holding onto his clothes and toys and crying.” Mamta said her son Aarav, a year older than Divyansh, keeps asking for him. “He cries for Mun-mun [Divyansh]. What do I say to him?” she said.
Suraj Singh, the boy’s father, said, “The NDRF team came only for two hours on Thursday. Only a few BMC officers and firemen are actually looking for him. They should search in the creek, but are concentrating on nullahs.” His brother Sandeep said, “The police dispersed crowds and detained protesters twice today. We are not happy with the way the search is progressing. On the first night, there was only one JCB. We need more floodlights.”
The family is also upset with the Mayor’s remark that the mother should have taken precautions to prevent the incident. Mr. Singh said, “Why didn’t the Mayor come and meet me? Then he gives such statements to the media. He should resign. I am protesting so that this does not happen to another Divyansh.” Shravan Tiwari, a local resident, said, “We have given our statement to the police and want an FIR filed under Section 304A against guilty BMC officers.”
The family also refuted the BMC claims that locals must have removed the drain’s cover and said CCTV footage proved otherwise. Mr. Singh said, “This nullah has not been repaired in 10 years. We used to cover it with a piece of plywood. We had told the BMC several times to cover it.”
Search extended
On Friday, the rescue team extended its search to Malad creek and Versova creek. Additional municipal commissioner Ashwini Joshi said, “Our teams searched the nullah again and went up to Malad creek and Versova creek. About 80 people were deployed. We also sent people down manholes to look for the boy. We had to call off the search at 7 p.m.”
M.R. Shinde, police inspector, Dindoshi police station, said, “We cannot file an FIR as the boy is still missing. Once he is found, we will take a call. There is no trace of him. Even a drone was used for the search today.”