11 September,2026 07:30 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
Sajid Ali Sheikh with his wife
A 32-year-old worker was crushed to death at an automobile workshop in Sewri on Wednesday after an SUV allegedly being handled by a 17-year-old worker moved forward and hit him, police said. Sajid Ali Sheikh was sitting near a wall in the washing area of an automobile facility at Colgate Jetty when the XUV700 moved forward at around 11.30 am. He suffered severe injuries and was taken to KEM Hospital, where he was declared dead.
The case has raised a key question: how did a 17-year-old come to be working at the workshop and handling the vehicle? Police have booked contractor Mohammad Guddu Khan and detained the minor. The FIR also names Manoj Vasant Shivrikar, 56, a service employee, and Zafar Sheikh, the washing-site supervisor. Police have invoked Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 14 of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act.
The victim's family has alleged that Khan, who held the washing contract, failed to verify the boy's age before employing him. Advocate Fahad Ali Quereshi, who represents the family, said the role of everyone involved in the worker's deployment and supervision should be examined.
The accident spot at the automobile facility in Sewri. Pics/By Special Arrangement
Wadala Senior PI Shashikant Padave said notices had been issued to the accused as the sections invoked carry punishment of less than seven years. "We have issued notices to the accused as the sections invoked in the case carry punishment of less than seven years. Guddu Khan was holding the Mahindra washing contract, Manoj was a service employee and Zafar Sheikh was the washing-site supervisor. The boy who was handling the SUV has been detained." A police official from Wadala police said the incident did not appear to constitute a separate criminal case against the minor at this stage.
Section 106(1), BNS
Causing death by a rash or negligent act, where the act does not amount to culpable homicide.
Section 14, Child and Adolescent Labour Act
Police have invoked the provision against those allegedly responsible under the child labour law.
The Child and Adolescent Labour law prohibits adolescents aged 14-18 from working in hazardous occupations or processes. Automobile workshops and garages are among the occupations/processes listed as hazardous.
The XUV700 allegedly being handled by the 17-year-old worker when the incident occurred
Sajid's 13-14 years of work
Sajid had been doing vehicle washing and interior-cleaning work for around 13-14 years through 3M and was deployed at the Mahindra & Mahindra facility, according to his distant relative Shaikh Mohammad Amir, a Sewri resident.
He earned around Rs 16,000-18,000 a month, Amir said.
"Everyone responsible should be held accountable and should compensate the family. A minor was working there and was allowed to handle the vehicle. The responsibility of all those involved needs to be examined," Quereshi said. The family has also questioned the responsibility of the companies involved in the deployment of workers.
"He had been married for around two to three years, and he and his wife were hoping to have a child. Sajid was the family's primary earning member and supported his wife and elderly parents." Amir said Sajid came from a poor family and lived in a house on the footpath. He said the family should be compensated. "Sajid was the primary earning member. He had a wife and old parents who depended on him. He came from a very poor family and lived in a house on the footpath. The family should be compensated," Amir said.
