3-year-old’s tragic death teaches tough lessons

Hrudyansh Rathod

There has been plenty of outrage in response to our front-page report about a three-year-old boy dying after allegedly slipping through a gap in a staircase railing on the sixth floor of Garware Club House, Churchgate.

The glass railing seems to have been broken, according to photographs. The child had been accompanied by a 10-year-old relative to the washroom on the fifth floor.

The adults were watching the FIFA final on the club's terrace. Like other clubs and public spaces, a special screening had been organized by Garware.

The boy was taken to the hospital but he died a few hours later. He had sustained head injuries.

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The club committee and its officials need to explain why this gap had been left in the railing. If the structure could not be repaired for some reason, even though it should have been before the event was held, that part of the staircase should have been shut off using some kind of tape or temporary barricade. A security guard could have been posted at the bottom of the staircase or near the gap. A board reading ‘caution' could have been put on the staircase near the gap. Ropes could have also been used as a safety measure.

We do see substantial gaps in staircase railings at certain places. This does not refer specifically to Garware Club House. In certain establishments, staircase railings are designed with wide gaps, which poses a threat to children.

This specific tragedy, though, teaches us some tough lessons. Repairs must be carried out quickly, warning signs and measures should be put in place and constant vigilance is necessary. We hope that those responsible i.e. the decision makers - not workers, who are low in the pecking order and usually made scapegoats - are held responsible.