An eight-year-old girl and a 33-year-old woman died and four others were injured after suffering electric shocks at a temporary drinking water and cold drink stall near a Ganesh pandal in Mumbai’s crowded Lalbaug area early Sunday, prompting police to register a case of causing death by negligence against the stall operator.
The incident occurred around 2.20 am near the entrance of the Mahaganpati Utsav Mandal at Digvijay Mill Chawl on Dattaram Lad Marg in Kalachowki. The Lalbaug-Parel belt, home to several prominent Ganesh pandals located close to one another, was packed with devotees when the incident took place.
Officials said an electric current was detected at the temporary stall following an apparent short circuit. Fire brigade personnel immediately switched off the power supply and cordoned off the area.
Two declared dead
Six people who suffered electric shocks were rushed to hospitals. Eight-year-old Raghini Ghanshyam Yadav was declared brought dead at Masina Hospital in Byculla. Three others — Kiran Akbar Naik, 19, Tanvi Naresh Hande, 19, and Sahil Sandip Tare, 19 — were admitted to the same hospital and were reported to be stable.
Two other victims were taken to Global Hospital in Parel, where Sujata, 33, was declared brought dead. Ruhi Singh, 12, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in a critical condition.
Separately, another electrocution death was reported during Ganesh festival-related activities in Mumbai on Sunday. A 19-year-old worker, Rohit Bhimu Rathod, died after entering a closed artificial pond meant for Ganesh idol immersion at Shyam Nagar Lake in Jogeshwari.
Faulty installation flagged
Officials of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking inspected the Lalbaug site and found that a temporary electricity meter had been installed to provide illumination for the Ganesh festivities and the cold drink stall. Its wiring and miniature circuit breaker were subsequently disconnected by a local electrician.
In a statement issued later on Sunday, BEST said it had disconnected the supply to temporary meter number M-217392 installed at the Kalachowky Vibhag Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal. It also issued a notice under Section 38B to the mandal over the allegedly faulty electrical installation.
BEST and Public Works Department officials inspected the site, while an assistant commissioner of police and other officers also visited the area.
Kalachowki Police registered an FIR against stall operator Kamal Shetty under Sections 106(1), pertaining to causing death by negligence, and 125(b), relating to acts endangering the life or personal safety of others, of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Crowding under scanner
Local residents and eyewitnesses alleged that severe overcrowding and jostling preceded the electrocution. Amardeep Gosavi, an office-bearer associated with the mandal, estimated that more than 50,000 people were present on Dattaram Lad Marg on Saturday night and alleged that police deployment and crowd-control arrangements were inadequate.
Eyewitnesses said there was a heavy rush in the “Mukha darshan” queue at the Mahaganpati pandal, with some barricades bending or breaking. The movement of crowds in both directions had also choked the road, particularly near the pandal entrance.
One eyewitness claimed some devotees were pushed towards the temporary stall amid the jostling, causing its iron supports to break and possibly come into contact with electric current. The precise sequence of events and the cause of the electrical leakage are being investigated.
Rohan Rane, an activist associated with the mandal, said volunteers initially carried the injured through the crowd to a nearby nursing home before they were shifted to Masina and Global hospitals.
Safety appeal to mandals
Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar urged Ganesh mandals across the state to give the highest priority to devotees’ safety and strictly comply with administrative guidelines.
He said mandals must remain particularly vigilant about crowd management and safety arrangements during the festivities, stressing that public safety should remain paramount amid large gatherings.