Mumbai: Drowned boy's dad wants mayor to resign, civic officials charged

MUMBAI: The father of the Goregaon toddler who is feared drowned has demanded accountability from the civic administration and wants officials punished. Eighteen-month-old Divyansh Singh had followed his father out of their home near Ambedkar Chowk and slipped into an open drain on Wednesday night. A search was on till Friday night, when it was called off by the fire brigade.
"The BMC and the police did not communicate any development in the case to us. We were clueless about the status of the search and what remedial measures were taken by the authorities," said Suraj, Divyansh's father. He said the mayor, who visited the spot on Thursday, should take responsibility and resign: "I want everyone responsible for this incident to be booked. Had it not been for their negligence, my son would be safe and home."
Divyansh’s father at the open drain in which the 18-monthold fell on Wednesday
Suraj, along with a few locals and an activist, Shravan Tiwari, had planned to address the media and hold a protest on Friday.
The police thwarted their plan and detained some of the people. Dindoshi police denied that they had detained locals and said they only requested the family and their friends to not hold a protest.
Officials with the fire department said the open drain where the child fell joins Piramal nullah at Goregaon which empties into the Malad creek behind Inorbit mall. The drain has been barricaded.
"On Thursday night, fire fighters used ropes and hook anchors in a 2km area, opposite Anmol Tower, to search for the child. Three manholes were opened. Halogen lights, torches and bamboos were used. A drone was also brought but couldn't be used due to water flow," said the fire department.