One dead, another injured while cleaning sewer in Santacruz; no safety gear provided: Police

In Santacruz East, a tragic incident occurred on Monday morning (September 28, 2026) at around 11 a.m. when two workers entered a municipal sewer chamber while cleaning a blocked sewage line for a housing society. The incident took place near Bhavya Niketan society on 8th Golibar Road, opposite V.N. Desai Hospital. One worker, Santosh Ganpat Kashte, 47, lost his life, and the other, Ajay Dhyanchand Thakur, 26, suffered severe injuries.

Both men were taken to V.N. Desai Hospital, where Kashte was pronounced dead upon arrival, while Thakur was admitted to the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) for treatment.

According to Vakola Police Station Senior Inspector Navnath Ghuge, the housing society had hired a retired Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official named Jadhav to clear the sewer line. Jadhav, in turn, employed the two workers for the task. However, crucially, neither worker was provided with any protective equipment while carrying out the cleaning work. The police identified the deceased as Santosh Ganpat Kashte and the injured worker as Ajay Dhyanchand Thakur.

The incident occurred when the municipal sewer manhole on the road was reportedly opened without informing the BMC staff. The two workers then entered the chamber, leading to their unfortunate demise. The Mumbai Fire Brigade was promptly called to the scene, and both men were rescued and taken to the hospital. The police have initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the workers' engagement, the absence of safety gear, and their entry into the municipal sewer chamber. They are awaiting the post-mortem examination report before officially registering an FIR.