Mumbai Dahi Handi Celebrations Leave 2 Dead, 212 Injured Across Mumbai And Thane
Two dead, 212 injured during Mumbai Dahi Handi celebrations.
Dahi Handi celebrations across Maharashtra left two people dead and at least 212 Govindas injured, with a seven-year-old boy dying in Mumbai after a brick column collapsed during a local celebration. In Pune, a woman died after a temporary iron structure supporting loudspeakers collapsed on her following a Dahi Handi event.
The boy, identified as seven-year-old Rudra Kadam, died at Chikuwadi in Malvani around 3 pm on Saturday. A group of children had organised a Dahi Handi event at Ekta Welfare Society and tied the rope holding the handi between a tree and a brick column. The column collapsed as the children attempted to break the suspended pot, leaving the boy trapped beneath the debris. He was taken to Malvani General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
In Pune, Salma Salauddin Pathan, a resident of Old Sangavi in Pimpri Chinchwad, died after part of a temporary iron frame collapsed on her. The structure had been erected to support loudspeakers at an event organised by Vighnaharta Mandal. Workers were dismantling it after the celebration when a heavy section fell, causing a serious head injury. Police registered an accidental death report and are examining the circumstances surrounding the collapse.
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Meanwhile, 168 Govindas were injured during Dahi Handi celebrations in Mumbai, according to information from government and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation hospitals available until 6 pm. Of these, 29 were admitted, 81 remained under treatment and 58 were discharged. KEM Hospital reported 33 injured Govindas, followed by Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar with 20 and Nair Hospital in Bombay Central with 17. In neighbouring Thane, 44 Govindas were admitted to hospitals with injuries.
Dahi Handi is traditionally celebrated as part of Janmashtami, with Govindas forming multi-tier human pyramids to break clay pots suspended above the ground. The festival has grown into a major public event in Mumbai and surrounding areas, often featuring large prizes and entertainment programmes. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attended celebrations in Worli, Dadar and Ghatkopar, while Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde attended the event at Tembhi Naka in Thane and stressed the importance of participant safety over attempts to set records with human pyramids.
Authorities had made preparations for injuries and crowd management across the region. The BMC had kept more than 100 beds ready at civic hospitals in Mumbai and its suburbs, with medical staff deployed in shifts and emergency supplies stocked. Police also maintained heightened security at sensitive locations. In Pune, meanwhile, 31 prominent Ganapati mandals participated in a DJ-free Dahi Handi event amid an ongoing debate over high-decibel sound systems ahead of the upcoming Ganeshotsav.
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