Deepak Amrapurkar death case: Bombay HC issues notice to BMC, gives two weeks to reply

The Bombay High Court on Friday issued notice to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over the death of Dr Deepak Amrapurkar and asked it to reply within two weeks, media reports said. Following this, the BMC, on it’s part has ordered a one-member inquiry committee to investigate the matter and submit its report in 15 days, ANI reported. The high court was hearing a plea against BMC and others in the matter of death of Amrapurkar, a renowned gastroenterologist of Bombay Hospital who reportedly died after falling in open manhole on 29 August. The PIL, filed by the Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association, has claimed that Amrapurkar fell into the open manhole as there was no ‘Danger’ sign or barricade near it,  The Indian Express reported, a gross negligence on part of the BMC. [caption id=“attachment_3997829” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. News18[/caption] According to The Times of India, the plea demanded registration of a criminal case under section 304A (causing death due to negligence) of Indian Penal Code against civic commissioner Ajoy Mehta and other officers of the Storm Water Drains department and a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to be given to any charitable organization. Amarapurkar had gone missing after Tuesday’s heavy downpour. His body was found two days later near the Worli seashore. According to eyewitnesses, Amarapurkar fell into a manhole in a flooded street in Lower Parel on Tuesday. The police later recovered his umbrella from near the site. The deceased was in a car on his way home to Ameya Cooperative Housing Society on Appasaheb Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi, when he found himself stuck in traffic due to water logging . He told his driver to drop him near the Elphinstone Road station and he would walk home since it was a short journey. When Amrapurkar failed to reach home, members of his family showed his photograph to people along his supposed route. A missing complaint was later lodged and a  search operation with the help of fire brigade and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation personnel was started to find Amrapurkar. Torrential rains pounded the city throughout the day on Tuesday. Mumbai gauged an  equivalent of 11 days of average daily monsoon rainfall in 12 hours, the highest in a day in August since 1997.