Mumbai Dahi Handi celebrations leave 376 injured; two killed in separate incidents

Dahi Handi celebrations across Mumbai left 376 'govindas' injured, with 90 hospitalised and 286 discharged. The festivities also turned tragic after a seven-year-old boy in Malad and a 45-year-old woman in Pune died in separate structural-collapse incidents.

Mumbai: The number of those injured in the traditional ‘Dahi Handi’ celebration across Mumbai has risen to 376, officials said on Sunday.

Out of the 376 ‘govindas’ who suffered injuries in separate incidents, 90 have been admitted to various hospitals for treatment, while 286 have been discharged.

---

The annual ‘Dahi Handi’ celebration is organised a day after the Janmashtami festival, which marks the birth of Lord Krishna.

The hospital-wise data showed that CT hospitals reported 183 injured ‘govindas’, with 29 admitted, 23 under treatment, and 131 discharged.

WS hospitals reported 126 injuries, with nine people admitted, 14 under treatment, and 103 discharged.

Several other injured people are currently undergoing treatment in other hospitals of the city.

The latest figures mark a significant increase from the earlier BMC update on Saturday, when 118 ‘govindas’ were reported injured across Mumbai.

A day earlier, a seven-year-old boy lost his life after a brick structure collapsed during the festivities. The incident occurred at the Ekta Welfare Society in Chikuwadi at Malvani, in Mumbai’s Malad West area.

According to reports, the event organisers had tied the safety and support ropes for the Dahi Handi to a nearby tree and a ground-floor brick column of a building under construction.

Under the tension during the attempts to break the Handi, the brick column suddenly gave way. ​The collapsing structure hit young Rudra Kadam, 7, inflicting severe head injuries. He was immediately rushed to the Malvani General Hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead.

Local police and BMC ward officials arrived at the spot shortly after receiving the news to investigate.

​In a separate incident in Old Sangvi, at Pune’s Pimpri-Chinchwad area, a 45-year-old woman, identified as Salma Salauddin Pathan, died after an iron frame set up for the celebrations collapsed on her.

The accident took place late on Saturday night following the conclusion of the event organised by the Vighnaharta Mandal. As workers were dismantling the iron arch and sound setup, a heavy metal section collapsed, striking Salma on the head. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival. ​

Salma had attended the event with her husband, Salauddin, to support their son, Rahim Pathan, who is a volunteer for the Vighnaharta Mandal.

Demonstrating extraordinary restraint, the grieving family declined to lodge a formal complaint against the organisers, saying that the youth involved were like family and they did not wish to jeopardise their futures. ​Despite the family’s refusal to file a complaint, Senior Police Inspector Jitendra Koli of the Sangvi Police Station confirmed that a case of accidental death has been officially registered.