Constable dies a week after skidding on pothole

Mumbai: Mumbai’s potholes claimed yet another life when Santosh Shinde (42), a constable with the Mumbai crime branch unit attached to Vile Parle police station died early on Thursday after sustaining head injuries in an accident last Thursday.

Shinde, who was riding his bike last Thursday night, skid and fell due to potholes along a dimly-lit stretch near Vashi bridge. Shinde was returning home (Nerul) after duty when his two-wheeler, a Honda Passion Pro, hit a pothole and fell. Grievously injured, he was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries a week later.

Acting on a complaint lodged by the deceased’s elder brother, Rajendra Shinde, also a police constable attached to Chunabhatti police station, the Vashi police registered a FIR against “unidentified persons responsible for the building and maintenance of the road”. Unidentified persons have been booked under sections 337, 338 and 304 (a) of the Indian Penal Code for causing hurt and grievous hurt by endangering life and personal safety along with causing death by negligence, respectively.

Rajendra alleged that his brother died an untimely death due to potholes that were badly filled and had the roads been clear of potholes, Santosh would have still been alive.

Dr Sudhakar Pathare, deputy commissioner of police (zone 1) confirmed the incident and said that the investigation was underway and that no arrests had been made so far.

Shinde is survived by his wife and daughter and was the family’s sole breadwinner.