The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has accused the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) of serious negligence in the tragic death of 14-year-old student Ayush Singh during a school trip to Imagica Park. The party has also alleged a ₹4.25 crore scam, claiming that the trip was organized without following proper tender procedures and was awarded to specific vendors through a single-source method.
On February 25, NMMC arranged an educational excursion for around 2,200 municipal school students to Imagica, an adventure park in Khalapur. MNS claims this trip was conducted in violation of a 2016 government resolution that mandates school excursions to historically, geographically, culturally, or academically significant locations.
MNS city president and spokesperson Gajanan Kale alleged that NMMC officials, including the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner of Education, and Education Officer, disregarded these regulations and forced students to visit an adventure park in extreme heat. Many students were allegedly not provided with adequate food or water during the trip, leading to serious health risks. While the post-mortem report states that Ayush Singh suffered a cardiac arrest, MNS holds municipal officials responsible, claiming that their negligence created conditions that led to the tragedy.
MNS has also alleged financial irregularities in how the contracts for these school trips were awarded. NMMC granted a ₹1.45 crore contract to KidZania for 22,985 students from Grades 1 to 4. Another ₹2.23 crore contract was awarded to Imagica Park for 18,867 students from Grades 5 to 10, without issuing a tender. The contracts were allocated using the single-source method, citing a December 1, 2016, government resolution from the Industry Department. However, the same resolution states that single-source allocation lacks transparency.
“Why did NMMC specifically choose Imagica Park when several alternative theme parks, such as Wet n Joy, Essel World, Tikuji-ni-Wadi, and Goregaon Film City Theme Park, were available?” Kale questioned. He also pointed out a pricing discrepancy, stating that Imagica's regular Tuesday ticket price is ₹999, yet NMMC allocated ₹1,118 per student, raising suspicions of financial misconduct.
MNS criticised NMMC’s handling of the excursion, stating that municipal officials failed to consult school principals and teachers before planning the trip. The party also raised concerns over the credibility of the internal investigation initiated by the NMMC Commissioner, arguing that a fair inquiry should be conducted by the Director and Deputy Director of Education. MNS has demanded the immediate suspension of the Deputy Commissioner of Education and the Education Officer and has called for strict action against those responsible for the mismanagement.
MNS has warned of intensified protests if their demands for accountability and justice are not met.
“All these points are part of our inquiry that is ongoing. Once the report is out, the findings will be clear,” NMMC Commissioner Kailash Shinde said.
