Furious locals blame KDMC for negligence, demand action against officials; incident takes place in Devichapada locality of Dombivli West
Deceased Ayush Kadam; (right) The boy was playing near the drain with his friends
A 13-year-old boy lost his life after falling into an open and overflowing drain on Sunday night. The boy, Ayush Kadam, a Std VIII student of Swami Vivekanand School, was swept away by the strong current after he accidentally stepped into an uncovered chamber of the Bharat Bhoir nullah in Devichapada locality of Dombivli West. The incident took place at around 10.30 pm.
Ayush, who lived with his family at Shantaram Nivas in the Jagdamba Mata area, was playing near the drain with his friends when the tragedy occurred. Continuous heavy rainfall throughout the day had caused the nullah to overflow. According to eyewitnesses, Ayush failed to notice the open chamber and fell in. His friends shouted for help, and one of them, Vedant Jadhav, courageously jumped into the water in an attempt to save him but was unable to fight the current.
Uncovered Bharat Bhoir nullah which was overflowing. Pics/Shrikant Khuperkar
Search and recovery efforts
The matter was immediately reported to the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) fire brigade at Garibachawada, which rushed to the spot. Firefighters deployed nets at the mouth of the nullah near the creek and used searchlights to begin a rescue operation. Senior Police Inspector Ramchandra Chopde from Vishnunagar police station also reached the scene to coordinate efforts. After nearly an hour of frantic searching, Ayush’s body surfaced and was pulled out by fire brigade personnel. He was taken to Shastrinagar Municipal Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.
Family in shock
Ayush’s father, Eknath Kadam, expressed his grief and shock over the loss of his younger son. “Last night around 10 pm, he said he was going out to visit the bhandara and would return in 15-20 minutes. A little while later, some boys came running to our house to inform us about the incident. We rushed, but couldn’t save him. He was very active in sports and had won many medals. We have two children, and he was our younger child.”
Boy’s father Eknath Kadam
Public outrage
The incident triggered outrage among local residents and community leaders, who blamed the municipal authorities for negligence. They pointed out that the chamber had been left open and unattended despite repeated complaints. Tensions escalated late into the night, with locals demanding that KDMC officials be held accountable under IPC Section 304(A) (causing death by negligence).
Social workers Bala Mhatre, Manoj Vaidya, Vijay Bhoir, and others intervened along with the police to calm the situation. Residents are now pressing for a case of culpable homicide to be filed against those responsible for maintaining civic infrastructure in the area.
When contacted, Assistant Commissioner of H Ward, Rajesh Sawant, stated, “The work on the ring route in this area is being handled by the MMRDA. I will check with them. An investigation is currently underway, so I cannot comment further. When I visited the site this morning, barricades were in place, and the chamber appeared to be closed properly. What exactly happened last night will be revealed after the police investigation.”
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