A worker died after being trapped in a grinder machine at a roadside food stall in Mumbai's Worli on Sunday. The incident was captured on CCTV, showing the worker's shirt getting caught in the waist-high grinder while he was preparing raw materials for dishes like Manchurian and Chinese Bhel. Despite frantic attempts to free him, the man was pulled into the machine, suffering severe injuries to his skull.
The worker, identified as Suraj Narayan Yadav (19), a resident of Jharkhand, was working at the stall for about three to four months. Employed by Kothekar, 32, he assisted with food preparation tasks but reportedly had no prior experience or training in operating such machinery.
Police stated that the accident occurred in a room that lacked basic safety measures. The stall owner allegedly did not provide safety training or equipment to the worker. The grinder operation was assigned to the young worker without adequate precautions, raising serious questions about workplace safety, police said.
The fire brigade was called to the scene and managed to extricate Yadav from the machine. He was rushed to KEM Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. The Dadar police have filed a case against the stall.
Authorities are now investigating the incident, focusing on the stall owner’s negligence in ensuring a safe working environment. Legal action will depend on the findings of the ongoing enquiry. The case has also drawn attention to the critical need for workplace safety measures in small-scale operations.