Fall of trees not in human hands: Minister Sanjay Shirsat under fire for remarks on Mumbai school bus tragedy

Maharashtra Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat. File | Photo credit: PTI

Maharashtra government minister Sanjay Shirsat has sparked controversy by saying that falling trees and lightning strikes are not in human hands, comments following the death of a student after a tree fell on a school bus in Mumbai.

A day after making controversial remarks and drawing fake news for it, the Shiv Sena minister on Wednesday (July 1, 2026) sought to control the damage, claiming that he was misquoted and that the civic body should have ensured proper trimming of trees in advance to avoid such tragic incidents.

An 11-year-old student, Vihan Srivastava, died and four other children, including a four-year-old girl, were injured after a large peepal tree fell on their school bus on the outskirts of Chembur at around 3 pm on Tuesday (June 30, 2026). The bus was transporting 13 students of the universal high school to their homes.

When asked about the tragedy, Mr. Shirsat said, “How could a person know that the tree will fall? The fall of the tree or the lightning is not in our hands. Maybe there were strong winds.” His comments drew sharp reactions from the opposition Congress and NCP (SP).

Congress president Nana Patole slammed the social justice minister, saying the remarks showed the “level of arrogance” in Mahayuti’s BJP-led government. “Monsoon preparedness was only on paper, there was nothing on the ground,” he claimed.

NCP (SP) leader Clyde Crasto termed Mr. Shirsat’s remarks as “disgraceful” and “insensitive”. He insisted that the child’s death could not be dismissed as a natural phenomenon as proper audits and tree maintenance should have been done before the monsoon.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday (1 July 2026), under fire, however, Mr Shirsat claimed his remarks had been misinterpreted.

“It was a very unfortunate incident. I said that though falling trees is natural, the civic authorities should take proper precautions. The trees that are about to fall should be removed before the onset of monsoon,” Mr. Shirsat said.

“All I said was that even if the tree fell due to natural causes, the civic body should have taken proper care. The trees should have been trimmed well in advance. Such warnings cannot be ignored in the name of nature conservation. Otherwise, similar incidents will happen again,” he said.

The minister claimed that some people tried to misquote him. The state government is still concerned and trying to avoid such incidents, he said.

He emphasized that tree audits are being conducted regularly and the state government will issue a statement on the incident in the Legislative Assembly during the ongoing monsoon session.

The Mumbai civic body has been directed to take necessary measures to prevent such accidents in future, the minister said.

The matter figured in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday (July 1), with members blaming the BMC for the tragedy.

Ruling Shiv Sena members Tukaram Kate and Murji Patel attacked the civic body over the fatal tree fall. Mr Kate, MLA from Chembur, noted that this was not the first time such an accident had happened in his constituency.

“I have repeatedly called on citizens to take precautionary measures, but to no avail,” he said.

Mr Patel demanded that the government take steps to help the boy’s family and the injured victims. He said Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was extending financial assistance of ₹2.5 million to the boy’s family.

Referring to the incident of a tree falling at Marol in the western suburbs of Andheri, he demanded an immediate survey of the trees to find a solution to such problems.

Congress MLA Patole also raised the issue and asked the government to make a statement on it.

In the Legislative Council, Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap sought a debate on the issue in the House. He said the BMC’s Gardens and Trees Department has the history and details of every tree in Mumbai. So BMC cannot sweep the problem under the carpet.

Published – 02 Jul 2026 0:50 IST