Following the tragic death of 11-year-old Vihaan Srivastav in a tree crash, the BMC has suspended Assistant Garden Superintendent Jagdish Bhoir

MUMBAI: A day after 11 year old Vihaan Srivastav’s death in a tree crash incident in Chembur, BMC suspended Jagdish Bhoir- assistant garden superintendent of M west ward holding him prima facie responsible for negligence pending a departmental inquiry.In a statement issued on Wednesday, the civic body said officials against whom prima facie negligence had been established were suspended. It added that strict action would also be taken against the contractor responsible for the road works in the area.Bhoir’s suspension order issued by the office of the Deputy municipal Commissioner (gardens) states that the June 30 incident at around 2.58 pm on 11th Road in Chembur (East), a roadside peepal tree fell on a passing Universal School bus killing a 11 year old. “In connection with the said incident, prima facie/substantial negligence is evident. In view of this matter, you are being suspended from today, July 1, 2026, pending preliminary/departmental inquiry.“Additional Municipal Commissioner Avinash Dhakane said issuing notices alone does not absolve officials of responsibility. “Merely issuing notices cannot be an excuse for such negligence. The matter should have been escalated to higher authorities. I have also directed the Roads Department to initiate action against the road contractor,” he said.Further, Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide constituted a two-member committee comprising Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Special Engineering) Purushottam Malavde and Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Engineering) Shashank Bhore to investigate the incident. The panel has been directed to submit its report within eight days, consult experts and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in future.Anguish over the child’s death spilled into the BMC’s Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday too, with corporators across party lines demanding accountability, an independent inquiry into the incident and systemic reforms in Mumbai’s tree management. Members across party lines demanded that a culpable homicide case be registered against officials found responsible for the incident.Congress corporator Tulip Miranda alleged that residents often do not receive timely responses from the Garden Department even after applying for permission to prune or remove hazardous trees, leading to preventable risks.Committee chairperson Prabhakar Shinde demanded that no official or contractor responsible for lapses should escape accountability. He called for the suspension of concerned officers pending the outcome of the probe and insisted that the inquiry should not be conducted solely by the same department involved in the incident.”There should be an independent, third-party inquiry. Responsibility must be fixed, whether it lies with officers or contractors,” Shinde said.BJP party leader Ganesh Khankar said the death of another child in a tree-fall incident, after a similar tragedy in Khar where a girl lost her life, could not be dismissed as an isolated accident.A total of 13 children were trapped inside the school van. Twelve were rescued immediately by personnel from the Mumbai Fire Brigade, the bus conductor and local residents, and were shifted by ambulance to nearby hospitals. Of the injured students, four sustained minor injuries, while 11-year-old Vihaan Srivastav died.