“A Mumbai mother whose son drowned at Mahim beach says, ‘Agar lifeguard hota toh do bacche nahin marte.”

Ishki aur ka baccha na jaye, mera baccha toh gaya. According to Sangita Kagada, 40, who lost her son Yash Kagada to drowning in the water at Mahim Beach last month, “Agar lifeguard hota toh aaj do baccho ki jaan bach jaati.” On March 26, 15-year-old Harsh Kinjale and his buddy Yash drowned.

In addition to demanding that signboards be put up and rescue teams be sent to the beach, the relatives of the victims and one survivor have also accused the police of negligence.

The lone survivor that day, Om Lot, 17, said, “We had gone there for a swim.” As soon as Harsh, Yash, and I stepped into the water, a massive wave slammed us. I was hauled ashore as Harsh and Yash vanished into the ocean. I contacted the on-duty policeman for assistance, but instead of responding, he assaulted the fisherman for attempting to assist us. I broke my powerlessness and contacted my family. Our relatives drove Harsh and me to Hinduja Hospital.

The Kagadas’ cousin Sachin Chawan claims that when he arrived to the location, Harsh had to be pulled out by himself since there were no police, coast guards, or lifeguards there. “No official was in attendance at the time. Every man in the neighborhood had come together to locate the lads. We went to the hospital with Om and Harsh. The cops summoned the fire department and rescues late. The rescuers said they were unable to carry on the search at 7:30. Yash was swimming in the same location where his corpse was discovered the next day, according to Chawan.

With sad eyes, Sangita said that the kids would still be alive if there had been warning signs about the risk. If there had been signboards, the kids would never have gone to the beach. I urge that the police cooperate and not beat those who have attempted to assist, and that the authorities erect boards. Sangita continued. Tejaswi Satpute, DCP Zone 5, said, “We are unaware of such incidents, I request the deceased to approach us, and we will take appropriate action against the officer if such an incident had occurred,” in response to a question about the incident.