Shoppers often let their children play in the malls near the escalators, thinking they are safe there. The death of a six-year-old boy at a Bangalore mall on Sunday underscores the need to keep an eye on them. Picture by Amit Datta

The death of a six-year-old boy at a Bangalore mall on Sunday has brought the issue of security at city malls into sharp focus.

Ahan Bhandari, a Class I student, had slipped through a gap in the mall’s escalator and fallen 50ft to death. The incident served a warning to many parents in Calcutta, who take their children along to shopping expeditions at malls.

“The news sent shivers down my spine. Nowadays, most people go to malls to shop and watch films. Often, we let our children play inside the mall, thinking that they are safe. After reading about the boy, I think that such accidents are waiting to happen in Calcutta,” says Kavita Singhania, who often shops and eats out at Forum with her husband and five-year-old son.

The mall authorities, however, feel there is no need to panic, as they have taken measures to minimise accidents.

“Forum was designed keeping in mind the safety aspects. The gaps in the stairs and escalators are blocked to avoid mishaps like the one that took place in the Bangalore mall. The railings are set high so that people don’t sit on them,” says the general manager of Forum, on Elgin Road.

At Forum, the gaps between the railings are blocked with thick bars so that the children can’t slip through. At Burp, the food court, metal sheets cover the gaps in the railing.

The authorities of the sprawling City Centre claim that there are trained personnel around to avert accidents. “At City Centre, people spend most of the time on the ground floor. But the security men keep a watch on the entire mall,” says an official of the Salt Lake shop stop.

At Metro Railway stations, too, the gaps between the handrails and the escalators are covered with metal sheets. There has been no incident of a person falling through the escalator and sustaining injuries.

According to the mall authorities, there is little they can do to stop a person who is determined to jump off from a height.

“What happened in Bangalore resulted from faulty design but if someone wants to commit suicide in a mall, there is hardly anyone who can stop him or her,” says a senior official of a city mall.