Chembur bus tragedy: civic panel report cites 'Act of God', boy's parents seek fresh inquiry

The Mumbai civic body's inquiry report on the death of an 11-year-old boy, killed when a peepal tree fell on a school bus in Chembur, has come out. The report could not fix a single cause for the accident and records it as an 'Act of God'.

The accident took place on June 30, 2026, in the Diamond Garden area of Chembur, when a large peepal tree fell on a school bus. A schoolchild died and several people were injured. The administration had set up a committee to inquire into it.

Former Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sanjay V. Deshmukh has submitted a four-volume report to the administration. The committee gave its report to Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide. According to the report, no single cause of the accident can be stated with certainty, which is why it mentions 'Act of God'.

The report also records that vehicles were parked on both sides of the road at the time of the incident. It estimates that the bus must therefore have been moving slowly.

The report has given a clean chit to the garden department and the roads department. It recommends a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the contractor who worked on the stormwater drain line (parjanya jalvahini) and Rs 2 lakh on the consultancy firm. The report also points to natural causes, saying the tree fell because of heavy rain and wind.

For the future, the report recommends regular study of digging near tree roots, road construction work, underground lines and the effect of weather. It also says the civic body needs to make major changes to its arrangements to protect Mumbai's trees.

The report has come as another blow to the boy's parents, who were already weighed down by the grief of losing their son. After the civic officials and the garden department received a clean chit, they said the case should be investigated again, failing which they would have to approach the court. The parents have held the BMC responsible for their son's death.