Boy among two dead in dahi handi celebrations in Maharashtra; 42 govindas injured in Mumbai, Thane

Dahi Handi celebrations claimed the lives of two persons in Maharashtra as a seven-year-old boy died after a brick column collapsed on him in Mumbai, while a woman was crushed to death under an iron frame in Pune, officials said on Saturday.

Besides, at least 32 ‘Govindas’ were injured in Mumbai and 10 others in neighbouring Thane during the formation of human pyramids as part of the celebrations.  Dahi Handi, which is part of the Janmashtami festival that marks the birth of Lord Krishna, is seeing enthusiastic participation by the revellers across the state. As part of the celebrations, ‘Govindas’ form multi-tier human pyramids to break Dahi Handis (clay pots filled with curd) suspended mid-air.  In Mumbai, the death of the boy occurred at Ekta Welfare Society at Chikuwadi in Malvani around 3 pm, they said.

It happened when a group of children was celebrating Dahi Handi on their own. They had tied the one end of the rope holding the handi to a tree and the other end to a brick column of a ground-floor structure.

As the children tried to break the handi, the brick column suddenly collapsed, hitting seven-year-old Rudra Kadam on the head. He was immediately rushed to Malvani General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead, the officials said.

Ward staff and police personnel were mobilised following the incident.

In Pune, Salma Salauddin Pathan, a resident of the Old Sangavi area in Pimpri Chinchwad, died after a temporary iron structure erected to support a stack of loudspeakers for a Dahi Handi event collapsed on her on Friday night, police said.

Workers were dismantling the iron frame after the event organised by the Vighnaharta Mandal concluded, and a heavy portion fell on Pathan. She sustained a serious head injury and was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared her dead, they said.

Pathan’s son was an office-bearer of the organising mandal, and her family declined to lodge a complaint against the organisers and urged the police not to register a case on their own, police said.

An accidental death report was registered, and the police are looking into the collapse of the structure, an official said. The woman’s death comes amid an intense debate in Pune over the use of high-decibel sound systems, colloquially known as ‘DJs’, during festivals, sparked by local activist Vidyanand Bapat.

Meanwhile, 32 ‘Govindas’ were injured during the Dahi Handi celebrations in parts of Mumbai, and 28 of them were discharged after treatment, while four of them were undergoing treatment, as per the information provided by various Government and Brihanmubai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-run hospitals till 3 pm.

Of the 32 injured ‘Govindas’, 29 were taken to hospitals in the island city area, of whom 25 were discharged and four remain under treatment.

Dahi Handi events organised by politicians in Mumbai and neighbouring areas have emerged as major attractions over the years, with huge prizes, celebrity appearances and entertainment programmes.

In view of the festival, the police have stepped up security across Mumbai, deploying heavy bandobast in sensitive areas.

According to a BMC release issued on Friday, more than 100 beds were kept ready at civic hospitals in the city and suburbs for treating injured Govindas.

Health officers and staff have been deployed in three shifts at civic hospitals, while the facilities have been directed to keep adequate stocks of injections, medicines and surgical material ready, the release said.

Sixteen civic-run suburban hospitals and Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital in Sion, KEM Hospital in Parel and Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central have over 100 beds ready, it said.

In neighbouring Thane, which draws huge crowds during the festival, 10 ‘Govindas’ have been admitted to hospitals, a civic official said.

While four of them received treatment at the civic-run Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital for various injuries to the back, neck and head, six others were admitted to the District Government Hospital for fractures and other physical trauma, he said.