2 dead, 6 injured after suffering electric shocks in Mumbai's Lalbaug Ganesh pandal

BEST officials inspected the site and found that a temporary electricity meter, numbered M217392, in the name of the mandal had been installed improperly.

Two people including an eight-year-old girl were killed and at least six others were injured after suffering electric shocks at a temporary cold drink stall near the Kalachowki Vibhag Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal pandal in Mumbai's Lalbaug early on Sunday.

The incident took place at a cold drink stall situated approximately 15 metres away from the temporary meter cabin. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

“The incident occurred because a wire from the temporary electrical connection got entangled around one of the devotees’ legs, and several people suffered electric shocks. Preliminary inspection revealed that the installation of the temporary meter was faulty,” a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking official told Hindustan Times.

Six of the injured were rushed to Masina and Gleneagles Hospital, where eight-year-old Ragini Ghanshyam Yadav and 33-year-old Sujata were declared brought dead, while Ruhi Singh, 12, was undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit of Gleneagles Hospital. Doctors at the hospital said her condition was stable.

The Kalachowki Vibhag Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal, popularly known as Kalachowkicha Mahaganpati, was established in 1956, and the Ganpati festival organised by the mandal was currently in its 71st year.

At 2.42am on Sunday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) fire brigade received information about a fire near the mandal’s pandal. Electricity supply was immediately switched off, and the area was cordoned off as a precautionary measure, civic officials said. BEST officials subsequently inspected the site and found that a temporary electricity meter, numbered M217392, in the name of the mandal had been installed improperly.

“The fatal incident took place at a cold drink stall situated approximately 15 metres away from the temporary meter cabin,” a BEST spokesperson said. “A notice has been issued to the mandal for faulty meter installation.”

Pratik Rane, a representative of the mandal, said the electrocution incident did not happen in their pandal but in a neighbouring pandal where devotees had queued up for mukha darshan.

The Kalachowkie police have booked the cold drink stall owner, Kamal Shetty, under sections 125 (rash or negligent acts that endanger human life) and 106 (1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Darshan turns fatal

Ragini Yadav’s aunt, Kismati Yadav, said the incident occurred around 2am, as the family was heading back home instead of going into the Ganpati pandal as the crowd was massive.

“We had stopped near a cold drink shop outside the mandap to let the crowd pass when the incident occurred,” said Yadav. “People collapsed in a heap on top of my niece amid the chaos, which likely led to her death as she was a little girl.”

Kismati Yadav was unable to tend to her niece as her two daughters also suffered electric shocks and fell unconscious, with froth oozing from their mouths. They are being treated by local doctors and their condition is stable, she said.

“We later got to know that the mandal organisers had taken Ragini to the hospital where she had succumbed,” said Mahesh Yadav, Kismati Yadav’s husband who drives an autorickshaw in Mumbai.

Ragini was a class three student in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, and she was visiting Mumbai with her mother, Sangeeta Yadav, for the latter’s thyroid treatment, said relatives.

“They had been staying with Ragini’s maternal grandmother in Mankhurd for the past one month and were slated to return to Uttar Pradesh soon as her mother’s treatment was over,” said Mahesh Yadav. “They were really keen to have a Ganpati darshan before returning to their hometown.”

Ragini Yadav’s father, who works as a truck driver, was around Vapi when he was informed about the incident, and he rushed back to Mumbai amid heavy traffic. The family received Ragini’s body around 4pm from KEM Hospital and cremated her at Mankhurd later in the evening. The family said they were yet to take a call about following up with the police and filing a case.

Officials urge suitable precautions

Cultural affairs minister Ashish Shelar visited KEM Hospital during the day and offered condolences to Ragini’s father and Sujata’s husband. He directed the civic body and police to arrange for the transportation of Sujata’s mortal remains to her husband’s native village.

“Every Ganesh mandal must strictly follow safety regulations and guidelines issued by the administration. Necessary instructions have been issued to the Mumbai police and the BMC to maintain vigilance and manage crowds responsibly,” he said.

Naresh Dahibavkar, president of the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti and incharge of 12,000 mandals across Mumbai said precautions should be taken to ensure that such incidents do recur.

“We had earlier conducted an awareness campaign, cautioning Ganesh mandals that since it was the monsoon season, they should pay particular attention to electrical safety and take the necessary precautions,” he said.