Overview
- On Thursday a 55–60-year-old man, identified as Aslam Shaikh, walked past a drain repair site on Khairani Road in Sakinaka, fell into an uncovered manhole captured on CCTV, and was recovered dead downstream after hours of rescue effort by the Mumbai Fire Brigade.
- Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials suspended four L‑ward staff, blacklisted the private contractor, and set up a high‑level inquiry with a seven‑day deadline while the Sakinaka police registered an offence against the contractor and workers.
- Witnesses and police said contractual workers had removed the manhole cover for maintenance without barricades, cones or warning signs, and the heavy rain created a fast current that swept the victim through the underground drain.
- Mayor Ritu Tawde announced a Rs 10 lakh ex gratia for the family and the BMC ordered immediate reinstatement or installation of protective grills and a 100 percent inspection of manholes across all wards within days.
- The death follows other recent rain‑related fatalities and reinforces long‑standing concerns about delayed pre‑monsoon work, with the inquiry and criminal probe likely to shape tighter contractor supervision and faster completion of mandated safety retrofits.