A two-and-a-half-year-old boy died after an SUV hit him and his mother on Chandavarkar Road in Borivli West on Wednesday night, while a magistrate later questioned the police for applying bailable sections against the driver.
The child, Krishiv Mandavia, was riding a tricycle with his mother, Riddhi, as they returned from an evening stroll. According to the police remand application, the incident took place around 9.45 pm near Om Shanti Chowk when the SUV moved towards the mother and son.
Police said the impact caused Riddhi to fall, while Krishiv was dragged further by the vehicle. The SUV then struck another car passing nearby, and the child became trapped between the two vehicles, suffering grievous injuries.
The driver, identified by police as 48-year-old doctor Samir Parekh, took the injured child to a nearby nursing home with the help of passersby. Doctors there advised that Krishiv be shifted to Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital in Kandivli, where he was pronounced dead.
Borivli police arrested Parekh on Wednesday and seized both his SUV and the other car involved in the crash. Police sought two days of custody when Parekh was produced before the Borivli magistrate court on Thursday, saying they needed to investigate whether the crash was intentional or accidental.
Magistrate Shivdatt Patil questioned the police over the charges applied in the case. “You have applied bailable sections. Is the police trying to help the accused?” the magistrate remarked, according to the report. The court also issued a notice to investigating officer Sagar Pawar.
Police have charged Parekh under provisions relating to negligence and rash driving under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act. The charges remain subject to the investigation and court proceedings.
Parekh’s lawyer, Pradeep Kumar Vishwakarma, said his client had rushed the injured child to hospital and denied the allegations against him. Police custody was sought to examine the circumstances of the collision and determine how the crash occurred.
The incident has left the Mandavia family and residents of the neighbourhood grieving. Relatives said Krishiv was the family’s only child and lived with his parents and grandparents. A neighbour told the newspaper that the child and his mother regularly went out for evening walks in the area.
The police investigation and the court’s notice to the investigating officer are the next formal steps in the case.
