New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday issued notices to the Delhi Chief Secretary, the Vice-Chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Secretary of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) following the reported death of a four-year-old boy after a part of a machine in an open-air gym fell on him in a municipality-run park in West Delhi’s Moti Nagar.
Taking suo motu cognizance of the incident, the Commission asked them to submit a detailed report on the matter within four weeks.
"The authorities are also expected to inform whether any compensation has been paid to the aggrieved family," the NHRC said in an order.
"The report should also include the status of the maintenance and safety audit of the swings and gym equipment, etc., installed in public parks under their jurisdiction in Delhi," it added.
The Commission has also asked the Delhi Police Commissioner to submit comments on the subject along with the status of the police investigation into the case.
The incident took place on October 13. Reportedly, people present at the scene suspected that the nuts and bolts of the equipment were loose, which led to the incident.
The Commission observed that if the contents of the media report are true, they raise a serious issue of human rights violations due to alleged negligence by the authorities in maintaining the equipment installed in the public park.
The incident raises serious concerns about the condition of equipment in other public parks governed, managed, and maintained by local government bodies in Delhi, the NHRC said.