18-month-old girl dies after fall from sixth-floor passage in Mumbai's Goregaon; CCTV footage with police
Police are probing whether the 14 October fall at Shivshahi Society in Goregaon East was an accident, after obtaining CCTV footage; a 10-year-old neighbour was present.
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An 18-month-old girl died after falling from the sixth-floor passage of Shivshahi Society in Goregaon East, Mumbai. The incident, on the night of 14 October, has caused alarm in the area. According to police, a 10-year-old girl from the neighbouring flat was with the child when she fell.
Police have obtained CCTV footage of the entire incident. They are investigating whether it was an accident or whether there was something more behind it.
Police said the child had gone out to play in the sixth-floor passage outside her home after dinner. The 10-year-old neighbour was also there. Within moments, the child suddenly fell. The preliminary inquiry has found that she fell through the duct. It is not yet clear whether she fell after losing her balance or was pushed deliberately.
Officials said the 10-year-old girl left the spot after the child fell. Some time later, the CCTV footage shows her back in the passage, riding a bicycle. For this reason, police are examining the footage closely. Information from the girl about what actually happened at the time will also be important to the investigation.
The child's family had moved into the building only on 1 October. The family says there had been quarrels between the two families earlier over a cat. However, it is not yet clear what the real cause of that dispute was or whether it has any connection to the incident. Police are looking into this aspect as well.
The family has been plunged into grief by the child's death. Her father is a driver and her mother is a homemaker. The couple have four other children. The child's mother has demanded: "My daughter died like this while she was with the neighbour's girl. Please investigate this case thoroughly and get us justice."
The question has also arisen whether a case will be registered directly against the 10-year-old. Under Section 21 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, in the case of a child above seven and below 12 years of age, the law looks at whether the child had attained sufficient maturity to understand the nature and consequence of the act. Any further legal decision is therefore likely to depend on the girl's age, her understanding, her ability to grasp the circumstances and her intent.
