Malad gutter chamber tragedy | ‘It all happened in five minutes’: 16-member family that lost one of its two breadwinners

In the five minutes that followed, the Shaikh family who has been living in the shanties of Shanti Nagar for the past 25 years, lost Javed Mendi Hasan Shaikh (36), one of the family’s two breadwinners, while the other, Akib, battles for his life at Jogeshwari’s Trauma Care Hospital.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a worker, who has now been identified as Raghu Solanki (50), had gone down a sewer line to clean it within the compound of the under-construction Raheja Towers at Malad (West), belonging to K Raheja Realty, on Wednesday afternoon.

When Solanki fainted, the watchmen from the site rushed to Shakti Nagar across the road, roping in Akib to help. When Akib didn’t respond after getting into the drain, his brother Javed jumped in to save both.

Later Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) was informed and its personnel recovered the three and rushed them to hospital where Solanki and Javed were declared “brought dead”. Akib still fights for life in a civic hospital where his condition is stated to be critical.

According to MFB officials, the three men were affected by toxic marsh gases inside the sewer line. A day after the tragedy unravelled, the mood at Shaikh’s dimly lit one-room shanty at Pimpripada was sombre.

Akib who worked as a rickshaw driver and Javed took up odd jobs were the 16-member family’s two breadwinners. Javed also leaves behind two children — aged seven and 12.

On Thursday, an inconsolable Shabnam Shaikh, Javed’s wife, said, “After having his lunch, Javed was resting at home during a short break from work when the watchman from the construction site called Akib for help. Later it only took five minutes for the entire incident to happen. What are we going to do now? I have lost my husband and even my brother-in-law’s condition is deteriorating.”

Natives of Uttar Pradesh’s Usra Shaheed village, the Shaikh family has been living at their Shanti Nagar home for over 25 years.

A settlement of nearly 500 shanties, Shanti Nagar is predominantly home to migrants from North Indian states, where some work as domestic helpers while most sustain their livelihood as daily wage workers doing odd jobs.

Afsarunissa Hasan Shaikh (56), the matriarch of the family who lost her son, wondered why the watchman rushed towards their neighbourhood, instead of seeking help at the construction site.

“Why did he rush towards our homes when he could have sought help from the workers there? After all this, they didn’t even call an ambulance. We had to take our sons to the hospital in an autorickshaw. They got no oxygen support on the way to the hospital, and ultimately one of my sons died,” said Afsarunissa, her son’s clothes still hanging in the background.

The residents of Shanti Nagar, most of them living hand-to-mouth, gave their work a miss on Thursday in support of the grieving family.

Raj Devendra, Javed’s childhood friend, said, “Javed would help anyone from the locality who needed help… even at night… He would handle everything at his residence alone. How is the family going to cope now…”

About Akib, his sister Ameena Hasan Shaikh said, “He has still not gained consciousness. We still don’t know what fate lies ahead for my brother. As for help, we have not heard anything from any authorities.”