Mumbai: A 9-year-old boy tragically died in Shivaji Nagar, Govandi, after being struck by a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) cleaning truck on Tuesday morning.
The victim, Hameed Shaikh, a resident of the Baiganwadi area, had left home to attend his madrasa. Upon returning, he was crossing the road when a speeding BMC garbage truck struck him, reportedly throwing him across the street. Witnesses stated that he died on the spot, while police indicated he was declared dead before arrival at the hospital.
The truck driver, Matiur Rehman Tayyab Hussain Sawant (31), attempted to flee but was apprehended by local residents who began assaulting him. Police from Shivaji Nagar arrived shortly after and arrested Sawant.
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In response to the incident, locals protested, calling for stricter action against illegal parking and wrong-side driving. They expressed concerns that such accidents are a result of negligence by both the BMC and traffic police, citing the absence of speed limiters as a contributing factor to the danger on the roads. Several locals were protesting in the middle of the road, creating traffic congestion which extended up to Mankhurd-Ghatkopar Link Road. However, after the involvement of the police, and their assurance of stringent action against the accused driver, protestors left the spot peacefully, police said.
Sawant has been booked for the charges of causing death by negligence, and rash driving among others under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicle Act.
