HC Raps Officials After Child Crushed by DJ Equipment in Bilaspur Anganwadi, Orders Collector’s Affidavit

Raipur

A child’s death in Bilaspur was met with anger from the Chhattisgarh High Court, which took suo motu cognisance of the matter and instructed the district collector to present a comprehensive report.

A two-judge Division Bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Kumar Sinha and Justice B D Guru observed that a three-year-old child had died at an anganwadi centre after a DJ’s iron pipe fell on her. The court questioned why DJ equipment was stored in an anganwadi centre and whether dance events were organised there. The court has scheduled the next hearing for 26 August.

The court has demanded a detailed report from the Bilaspur collector, submitted with a personal affidavit. The High Court also sought information on the compensation and financial assistance provided to the victim’s family. The Division Bench stated that it would spare no one once all the details were reviewed.

The incident occurred on 14 August in the Civil Line police station area. A three-year-old girl, Muskan Mahilang, was playing at the anganwadi centre when a DJ’s iron pipe fell on her head, critically injuring her. She later died from her injuries.

It is alleged that the Department of Women and Child Development and local police initially tried to suppress the matter. After a week, the post-mortem report revealed the cause of death was a head injury. Following this, an FIR was registered against the DJ operator.

The state government informed the court that the DJ operator, a relative of an anganwadi employee, had stored his equipment at the centre. It was also stated that a case has been registered against the DJ operator Rohit Dewangan and his associates for their negligence.

The court has asked the collector for responses on the following points:

• Action taken so far following the incident.
• Steps to fix accountability of the officers concerned.
• Compensation paid to the victim’s family or the status of the process.
• Measures being taken to prevent such incidents in anganwadi centres in the future.