No help from BMC, Bandra cops ‘appoint’ hawkers as lifeguards

Snacks vendor Birju Rane (with stick in hand) ensures a couple stays away from the water at Bandstand. Pics/Ashish Raje

The Bandra police have unofficially appointed eight unlicensed hawkers as lifeguards at Bandstand and authorised them to prevent visitors from venturing into the sea. In return, these individuals, including pani puri, samosa and bhel puri stall owners, have been granted tacit permission to ply their trade at the site.

Recently, Jyoti Sonar, a 32-year-old Rabale resident, drowned while posing for photographs with her husband on the rocks at the popular spot.

Jitendra Singh

Bandstand, a 1.2-kilometre stretch along the city's western coast, encompasses the 17th century Bandra Fort, hotel Taj Lands End and numerous celebrities' residences. According to local sources, over 10,000 people visit the spot daily, including college students and couples.

When mid-day visited Bandstand on Thursday to assess the safety measures implemented there, no precautions had been taken. Many couples and individuals were seen posing for pictures on slippery rocks.

Visitors sitting along the shoreline at Bandra Bandstand on Thursday. Pics/Ashish Raje

The team also encountered eight lifeguards, who claimed that the Bandra police had deployed them to prevent anyone from accessing the rocks. The lifeguards, who said they weren't paid for their efforts, were busy using sticks to deter people from climbing down onto the rocks. The vendors' experience is restricted to assisting the cops during Ganesh visarjans and lending a hand during rescue operations.

One such lifeguard Jitendra Singh, 25, a resident of Ganesh Nagar at Bandstand, explained, "I was born and raised here. We are also members of the Ganpati visarjan mandal, and we lend a hand during the Ganpati visarjan at Bandstand. A few days ago, a woman fell into the sea and drowned while her children captured videos and photos of her husband and her. Her body was found lodged between the rocks."

Birju Rane, snacks vendorBirju Rane, snacks vendor

He added, "After this incident, the Bandra cops deployed us here and instructed us to prohibit anyone from entering the seawater and rocky area. The rocks are slippery, which is why the mishap occurred. I also operate a pani puri stall. We have been urging people not to go on the rocks, but nobody listens to us. The police advised us to print T-shirts with the word ‘lifeguard' and the Mumbai Police logo. We have placed an order for them."

According to Singh, the lifeguards are patrolling the rocky stretch from the fort to the starting point of Bandstand, near actor Salman Khan's residence, Galaxy Apartment. "Most of the visitors gather outside Shah Rukh Khan's bungalow, Mannat, and they later venture onto the beach area," said Singh.

Birju Rane, 40, who runs a chaat stall, was also spotted keeping an eye on visitors.

He told mid-day, "We are fishermen and swim in the sea regularly, so we have adequate experience. We participate in Ganpati visarjan at Bandstand every year. We also possess safety equipment such as safety rings, lifejackets, ropes and other important items. We utilise these during the visarjan, and we are using them here as well right now."

He added, "I prepare chai and samosas at my stall. So far, I have saved over 50 lives at this location, which is why the police offered us this job. We have also requested the police to hire us permanently as lifeguards. This would secure our future and provide an income source for our families, as well as an opportunity to save lives."

At Juhu, Versova, Madh, and Aksa Beach, authorities have deployed dozens of lifeguards to ensure the safety of visitors. However, at Bandstand, which is visited by approximately 10,000 people daily, no legitimate lifeguard is present.

Vinayak Vispute, ward officer, H West, said, "Bandstand does not come under the beach area. It's a rock sea area. We have not deployed any lifeguards at this place because it's not a beach. We informed the Bandra police to deploy more staff at this spot and increase patrolling there. It's the police's duty to stop people from entering the rocky patch. Lifeguards are present at all beaches across the city."

Krishnakant Upadhyay, DCP (Zone 9), said, "The lifeguards who reside at Bandstand are swimmers who regularly help us during Ganpati visarjans and other occasions. They have saved many lives. These lifeguards are locals and are considered a police-friendly group. We deployed them at Bandstand because no [actual] lifeguards are available."

50
No. of lives Birju Rane claims to have saved

Drowning incidents at Bandstand

July 10, 2023 Jyoti Sonar, who was picnicking with her husband and three children, lost her life after a wave dragged her into the sea
June 2019 Mithunkumar Kattar, 28, drowned despite the efforts of a local to save him. Kattar was rushed to Bhabha hospital where he was declared dead
October 2019 Two friends, Ram Gupta, 25, and Priti Gupta, 20, fell into the seawater. A local fisherman jumped in and saved Priti, but Ram drowned.
May 2017 An engineering student, Meenakshi Priya Rajesh, 21, was standing close to the water near the selfie point at Bandra Fort when a wave hit her. She fell into the water. She was on vacation in Mumbai.
August 2017 Sohail Shaikh, 20, met his end near Taj Lands End.
January 2016 College students Tarannum Ansari, 18; Anjum Khan, 19; and Mustareem Khan, 19, slipped while taking a selfie near the sea. A passerby Ramesh Walunj, 35, jumped into the water after spotting one of the girls. Unfortunately, he was unable to save Tarannum, and he also drowned.