Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; February 24, 2014)

Last Saturday, a two-day-old infant was found dead in the swimming pool of actor Mohnish Bahl’s Mumbra bungalow. This incident has understandably left the actor shaken and he is no longer sure if he wants to hold on to this property.

Bahl admits that the house holds a special significance as he spent a fair share of his childhood days there. He says, “My parents had bought the property in 1965 and many of my childhood days were spent there. But after my mother (actress Nutan) passed away in 1991, my father cut down on his visits to this bungalow.”

After his father (Rajneesh Bahl) passed away in 2004, the actor and his wife stopped going there as well. “Ekta and I have not been there for nearly a decade now. A watchman, who is also the caretaker, has been looking after the place,” says Behl.

The actor also points out though an emotional attachment with the place kept him from selling it all this while, he’s not so sure now. “After what I saw on Saturday, I really don’t know what I will do. This incident will never go away from my mind. I hope people change their attitude towards girl children,” he says.

It may be pointed out that in November last year, the actor had surrendered around 25 acres of land to the Thane Municipal Corporation (except for the bungalow). He adds, “The area where the bungalow stands has incidentally been earmarked for a park and a cultural centre, but I had requested the TMC to exempt the bungalow.”