Mumbai: Contractor booked after labourer falls to death at five-star hotel in Andheri

The hole (circled) in the roof of the hotel through which Sahil Rajbhar fell to his death on Wednesday

A day after a 21-year-old labourer died while carrying out repair work at a five-star hotel in Andheri, the Sahar police registered an FIR against the contractor on Thursday. However, no arrests have been made.

The labourer, Sahil Rajbhar, who was not wearing any safety gear, fell through a false ceiling dome on the seventh floor of the hotel. Sahil's father, Ratilal Rajbhar, who works as a supervisor at the contractor's renovation company, informed the police that Sahil mistakenly took this route as a shortcut instead of using the designated iron walkway.

"We have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Royal Rodrigues, the contractor, under Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," stated PSI Bipin Shinde, attached to Sahar police station. The deceased had been working as a supervisor with his father for the last four years.

"On June 28, around 12.30 pm, Sahil and his father Ratilal Rajbhar visited the five-star hotel for a routine inspection. During this time, they went onto the seventh floor, and Sahil, not wanting to take the iron walkway on the other side of the terrace, decided to walk on the newly constructed POP (plaster of paris) dome, which collapsed, resulting in his death," said Shinde.

Initially, the police had registered an accidental death eeport (ADR), but it was later converted into an FIR on Thursday. The authorities are currently investigating the circumstances leading up to the incident, with a focus on identifying safety protocol lapses or inadequate training.