Three weeks after taxi plunges into sea at Bhaucha Dhakka, FIR filed against contractor

The police reached the spot and with the help of local fishermen and sailors, pulled the taxi driver out of the sea. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead before admission.

The cab driver was later identified as Jayaprakash Chhotelal Sharma (63), a Mumbadevi resident. The police registered an accidental death report and started investigation. The police found that Sharma drove on the old, partially demolished bridge due to which the incident took place.

During the probe, it came to light that on July 24, 2023, the Mumbai Port Authority had awarded the contract for the construction of the New Fish Jetty to M/s Kargwal Construction Pvt Ltd.

The work for demolishing some parts of the old fish jetties is being done by M/s Kargwal Construction Pvt Ltd company through M/s R B Dande Associates, the police found.

On July 26 this year, the work for demolishing some parts of the old fish jetty was started by M/s R B Dande Associates Company. Some parts of the said jetty had been demolished, and the work for demolishing the remaining parts was in progress, an official said.

The police, however, found that since there was no signboard, barricading or security guard deployed at the demolished place at old fish jetty, the deceased cab driver took the route and eventually fell into the sea due to its dilapidated structure, an official said.

The FIR stated, “…in the investigation conducted in accordance with the Accidental Death Record No. 23/2025, it has been found that the reckless and negligent actions of Kargwal Construction Pvt Ltd project operation head, Satish Kumar Satyanarayan Maladi and site safety officer Mahesh Shivaji Sawant caused the death of the taxi driver named Jayaprakash Chhotelal Sharma…”

Accordingly, an FIR was registered against Maladi and Sawant under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for causing death by rash and negligent act.