Shiv Sena (UBT), led by Uddhav Thackeray, on Thursday, 16 July launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led ruling alliance in Maharashtra, alleging that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s internal inquiry into the Chembur tree collapse that killed an 11-year-old child was rigged to protect civic officials. The charge came through a strongly worded editorial in the party's mouthpiece Saamana, which accused the civic body of shielding its own departments while levying only a token penalty on a contractor.

The Chembur Tragedy

On 30 June, Vihaan Srivastav, aged 11, died and several other children were injured when a large roadside tree fell onto their school bus near Diamond Garden in Chembur, Mumbai. The incident triggered public outrage, prompting the BMC to constitute an internal inquiry committee. The committee's report, submitted recently, cleared the BMC's Gardens and Roads departments of any direct wrongdoing and instead recommended a combined penalty of ₹7 lakh — split between the contractor and the supervising project consultant.

Opposition Calls Inquiry 'Predetermined'

The Saamana editorial described the probe as a 'predetermined, favourable script', alleging that the official directly responsible for the city's concreting works was himself placed on the inquiry committee. The Thackeray camp argued this made any expectation of an impartial finding 'pure fantasy'.

'The committee appeared to have been engineered to deliver a predetermined, favourable script. By declaring the Gardens and Roads departments entirely innocent and settling for a minor fine on the contractor, the administration has given its own officials a free pass,' the editorial stated.

Contradictions Within Civic Leadership

The editorial highlighted what it called a glaring contradiction in the BMC's own messaging. Experts and residents have long pointed to excessive and faulty concreting around tree roots as a key driver of Mumbai's recurring tree-collapse incidents. Yet, according to the Thackeray camp, the Municipal Commissioner has flatly denied that unscientific road concretisation weakens tree roots.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Mayor and other ruling politicians have reportedly blamed concreting works — a stance the opposition characterised as an attempt to deflect public anger. When the inquiry report was released, the Mayor publicly rejected its findings and demanded a criminal case against the contractor rather than a fine. Shiv Sena (UBT) dismissed these moves as 'hollow dramatics designed to mislead citizens.'

Accountability Questions

'The Commissioner was appointed by you. The ruling power in the Municipal Corporation belongs to you. The committee to investigate the Chembur tragedy was formed by you,' the editorial pointedly noted. 'Yet, when the committee's findings spark outrage, you are the ones performing high drama.'

The Thackeray camp questioned why the civic leadership has resorted to rhetoric rather than enforcing direct, punitive action against erring officials.

Broader Political Context

The editorial drew a line from the BMC's conduct to what it described as a wider pattern of impunity across state and national governance. It argued that when leaders at the Centre express only 'regret' over large financial irregularities — citing the Ram Mandir donation box scandal — and when a state Chief Minister reportedly threatens opposition members who raise corruption concerns, accountability at the civic level becomes equally unlikely.

'From the Centre down to the civic bodies, Mumbai is unfortunately being ruled by an administration of absolute deceit, leaving ordinary citizens and children to pay the price,' the editorial concluded. As the monsoon season continues, the political and civic battle over tree safety and contractor accountability in Mumbai is far from over.