Mumbai: Did missing Mankhurd man drown in subway?

A 25-year-old man, who was missing for the past four days, was found dead inside a filthy Mankhurd pedestrian subway last night. The subway had been abandoned for many months after rainwater had flooded the insides, and locals suspect that the youth could have died due to drowning.

Subway was abandoned after the monsoon

According to the police, the deceased, identified as Ashish Pawar, was a resident of Maharashtra Nagar in Mankhurd. His relatives had filed a missing persons complaint with the Trombay Police on Monday. A neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said that on November 18, Pawar had stepped out for some work. When he did not return for over two days, his family approached the police.

Ashish Pawar

On Tuesday, the Mankhurd Police station received a call from a citizen about a body floating in a flooded subway near the autorickshaw stand on Mankhurd West. "After we got to know about the body, we sent a van to the spot. Later, the Fire Brigade was called for help as the body had to be fished out. We later identified the body as Pawar's," said an officer from the Mankhurd Police. "We have filed an accidental death record (ADR) in this case. Prima facie it does not seem to be murder. Investigations are on," said Sanjay Vernekar, senior inspector of Mankhurd police station.

The unlit subway that was abandoned after water kept filling up in it

When mid-day visited the incident spot, the subway, which connects either side of the Sion-Panvel highway, was completely submerged in water and filth. "Some people, who were sitting below the flyover from where the subway passes, got a whiff of the foul smell emanating from inside. After the body was recovered, the police sealed the entry and exit doors of the subway," said an autorickshaw driver, on condition of anonymity.

According to the auto driver the subway has been dysfunctional for months. "During monsoon it gets filled with water, and nobody bothers to drain it out," he said. Meanwhile, activists have slammed authorities for not clearing the subway. Activist Shakeel Shaikh of NGO Adhikar Foundation said, "The incident is the result of the BMC's negligence. They are responsible for its maintenance. After water accumulated there, it was completely shut and nobody bothered to clean it. The water levels inside the subway has reached 8 to 10 feet." Despite repeated attempts Assistant Municipal Commissioner SP Kilje of M-East ward was not available for comment.

10
Number of feet water had risen inside the subway