In a tragic incident during the Ganpati immersions on Wednesday, a five-year-old boy was killed after being crushed under the wheels of a truck in Sion, that was carrying the idol of a mandal from Chembur. The Sion police has arrested the driver for causing death due to negligence and a medical test negated the presence of alcohol in his body.
Ayush Gupta, the deceased, was sitting on the divider with his family watching the processions on the road opposite Gandhi Market at around 8.30 pm amidst heavy crowds. “Members from the Jaiswal Mitra Mandal were distributing sweets and prasad from atop the truck. He ran towards the truck and tried climbing the cabin from the left side. He had mounted himself on the tyre when he slipped and fell right under the wheels. His head was completely crushed, killing him on the spot,” said senior PI B.Z. Gavit of Sion police station.
Ayush’s family members, who were distracted due to the heavy noise and crowd, did not realise what happened until people began shouting after witnessing the incident. They realised Ayush was missing and headed towards the truck to find him under the wheels. The Guptas are residents of Dhobi Ghat in the Rawli Camp area of Antop Hill. He was taken to the nearby Sion Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
“We conducted a medical test on the driver, which concluded that he was not drunk during the time of the incident,” Mr Gavit added. Driver Anand Setu (30) was produced in court on Thursday.