A tragic incident unfolded at Nariman Bhat Nagar near Worli Koliwada, where a worker lost his life after being trapped in an industrial grinder. Following the incident, Dadar Police registered a case against the owner, Sachin Kothekar, on Sunday.
The worker, Suraj Yadav, reportedly had no prior experience operating the grinder but was assigned a high-risk task. Fire brigade personnel were summoned to the scene to extricate Suraj from the grinder. However, he was declared dead before reaching KEM Hospital, Parel.
The complaint was lodged by Mahesh Yadav, the cousin of the deceased. According to the FIR, Mahesh, along with five other workers, had been employed by Sachin Kothekar for over five years to prepare raw materials for Chinese food items. The grinder was installed in a room near Amar Sandesh Mandal at Nariman Bhat Nagar to process batter and finely chop vegetables like cabbage and cauliflower for Chinese Bhel fritters.
On Saturday, Sachin Kothekar allegedly sent Suraj Yadav to fetch raw materials. When Suraj failed to return for a long time, Sachin received a phone call informing him that Suraj was trapped in the grinder. Rushing to the site, they found Suraj’s head stuck in the machine. Despite efforts, they were unable to free him and had to call the fire brigade.
The fire brigade team eventually managed to remove Suraj from the grinder, but he was declared dead before being admitted to the hospital.
The complaint highlights that Suraj lacked any prior experience operating the grinder. It is alleged that his inexperience and the risky nature of the task led to the fatal accident.
Dadar Police have registered a case against Sachin Kothekar under relevant sections and are conducting further investigations.
This incident raises questions about workplace safety and the responsibilities of employers in ensuring adequate training for hazardous tasks.