Dahi Handi Celebrations Turn Tragic In Maharashtra: 7-Year-Old Boy Dies In Mumbai, Woman Killed In Pune

Dahi Handi celebrations turned tragic in Maharashtra on Saturday after a seven-year-old boy died when a brick column of a ground-floor structure collapsed on him in Mumbai's Malad. According to information received from the Ward Control Room, the incident was reported at around 3:01 pm at Ekta Welfare Society, Room No.

23, Chikuwadi, Malvani, Marve Road, Malad (West). The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said preliminary information indicated that a group of children were celebrating Dahi Handi on their own. The rope holding the Dahi Handi had been tied between a tree and a brick column of a ground-floor structure.

The column eventually collapsed while the children were attempting to break the handi, falling on a seven-year-old boy. The child suffered a serious head injury and was immediately rushed to Malvani General Hospital for treatment.

However, hospital authorities informed that he was declared brought dead. In a separate Dahi Handi-related incident in Pune, a woman was crushed to death under an iron frame, officials said on Saturday, news agency PTI reported.

The deceased was identified as Salma Salauddin Pathan, a resident of Old Sangavi in Pimpri Chinchwad. According to police, she died after a temporary iron structure erected to support a stack of loudspeakers for a Dahi Handi event collapsed on her on Friday night.

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

Pathan's son was an office-bearer of the organising mandal. Her family declined to lodge a complaint against the organisers and urged the police not to register a case on their own, police said. Besides the two deaths, at least 32 'Govindas' were injured in Mumbai and 10 others in neighbouring Thane while forming human pyramids as part of the Dahi Handi celebrations.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde emphasised the importance of safety over record-breaking human pyramids during Dahi Handi celebrations across the state on Saturday. Speaking at the massive celebrations at Tembhi Naka, Shinde reminded participants that their safety mattered most to loved ones waiting for them at home.

He also urged them to maintain discipline and look out for one another while celebrating the festival, according to PTI. “Break the pot, but protect life. Remember that your parents are waiting for you at home. Every govinda must ensure their teammates do not get injured,” he said, while describing Thane as the “Pandharpur of Govindas”.

A brick column, to which the Dahi Handi rope was tied, collapsed on him. He suffered a serious head injury and was declared dead at the hospital. Salma Salauddin Pathan was crushed by a temporary iron structure supporting loudspeakers.

The structure collapsed while workers were dismantling it after the event. A total of 42 Govindas were injured, with 32 in Mumbai and 10 in Thane. They sustained injuries while forming human pyramids. Deputy CM Eknath Shinde emphasized prioritizing safety over record-breaking human pyramids.

He urged participants to protect life and look out for teammates, reminding them parents await their return.