TWO MEN drowned in an open drain in Zakir Hussain Nagar area in Deonar Sunday morning. The drain was left open as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had dug the ground to lay down a new water pipeline a few days back. Since the work was incomplete, the drain was open and filled with water. The local police said they would be registering a case of negligence against contractors, who had been assigned the job of laying down the pipeline. The incident took place around 10 am Sunday opposite the Shehnai wedding hall at Zakir Hussain signal on the Ghatkopar Mankhurd link road in Deonar. One of the deceased, identified as Ikrar Nizamuddin Qureshi (29), who used to wash cars for a living, went near the drain to fill water from taps there, police sources said. Several people come there in the morning hours to wash cars. While Qureshi was filling water, he lost his balance and fell in the open drain. Seeing Qureshi fall in the drain, Imran Khan (28), who was also in the same profession, jumped into the drain to save him. He too could not get out, police sources said. A fire brigade team then reached the spot and fished out both of them. They were rushed to the Rajawadi hospital, where both were declared dead, police sources said. Senior Inspector of Deonar police station Dattaray Shinde said an Accidental Death Report (ADR) has been registered in the matter. “There seems to be negligence that led to the death of two persons today. We are investigating the matter and depending upon what we find, a case may be registered,” the officer said. Another officer from the police station said they were likely to register a case of causing death due to negligence against contractors. Isaar Ali, the elder brother of Ikrar, said Ikrar would go to fill water from taps near the drain everyday to wash four-wheelers like taxis parked in the area to earn a living. “Like every morning, he went to the spot today as well. However since the past 2-3 days, there was some BMC work going on because of which they had dug a section of the road adjacent to the tap. While filling water, my brother slipped and fell in the ditch that was filled with water,” Isaar, a tailor by profession, told The Indian Express. As per locals, the ditch was nearly 20 feet deep. “As Ikrar was shouting for help, Imran jumped in to help him. Both I think underestimated the depth of the drain. Even Imran started struggling to come to the surface and drowned,” said Israar. He added that both men were married. Ikrar has two children, while Imran has one child. Soon after the incident, locals staged a rasta roko which was eventually contained by the local police after giving assurance that action will be taken against the negligent party.
