A day after the tragic death of six-year-old Ahan Bhandari, business was as usual at malls across the City. A recce by Deccan Herald on Monday at various shopping malls threw up mixed responses by the people and mall managements.
Uday Garudachar, promoter and MD, Garuda Mall, said: “It is wrong to blame the mall. All aspects of safety of shoppers in the eventuality of accidents were taken into account at the time of planning. The media has made an issue on the gap between the escalator railing and the wall. These escalators have been designed and built for international markets. We wouldn’t have got occupancy and no objection certificates if safety aspects were not met,” he said.
DCP (Central) B N S Reddy, who visited Garuda Mall to ascertain turn of events leading to the death of Ahan, said the police examined the CCTV footage to look into how the boy could have fallen from IV floor. “We do not know what exactly happened. The video footage in clips shows that the boy was surrounded by children of his age. He seemed to be playing with a video game in his hand. In all probability, it could have been an accidental fall. The footage shows Ahan leaning on to the escalator belt with a firm grip, looking down. He could have been dragged and toppled over. Investigations are on,” Reddy said.
The DCP said the video clips last showed the boy alive at 3.28 pm on Sunday. “The negligence aspect is being looked into. Most malls with escalators are constructed as per international specifications. The boy fell on a rubberised stage. Had he fallen on the floor, the impact would have been even more. A lot of children visit malls on the weekends.They tend to be distracted and get carried away in the joyous atmosphere. There could be easily 50,000 to 60,000 people who throng the malls over the weekend. Parents should be more cautious and responsible” he said.
DGM  (Mall Operations) of Forum, T G Vinod, said: “To single out malls for their safety is unfair. It is better if parents create an awareness among their children.”