3 govindas fight for their lives in hospital; 1 arrested for death

Mumbai The dahi handi celebrations this year, in the city and suburbs, were marked by a collective festive fervour and an equal determination by the ruling Shinde-Fadnavis government to court the Marathi manoos with promises of jobs and insurance to the govindas, as well as raising the equity of the sport with the pledge of a pro-govinda dahi handi league

Mumbai The dahi handi celebrations this year, in the city and suburbs, were marked by a collective festive fervour and an equal determination by the ruling Shinde-Fadnavis government to court the Marathi manoos with promises of jobs and insurance to the govindas, as well as raising the equity of the sport with the pledge of a pro-govinda dahi handi league.

The city witnessed the first death of a participant -- 24-year-old Sandesh Dalvi -- who succumbed to head injuries in a private hospital in Vile Parle on August 22 (Vijay Bate)

Just a few days after the event, this collective zeal may well be re-examined.

The city witnessed the first death of a participant -- 24-year-old Sandesh Dalvi -- who succumbed to head injuries in a private hospital in Vile Parle on August 22; his co-participant, admitted at Cooper Hospital, is recovering from the injuries.

Vile Parle police on Tuesday arrested the organiser of the programme for not providing adequate safety arrangements.

Elsewhere in the city, two others having lost sensation in their limbs after a fall, are being treated at civic hospitals.

Both the participants – who co-incidentally share first names -- have damaged the C5 spinal cord, resulting in paralysis of both the upper and lower body, otherwise known as quadriplegia.

One of the two – 23-year-old Bhandup resident Prathamesh Parab -- who injured his cervical spine on the night of August 17 while practising, was rushed to LTMG Sion Hospital.

After returning from work that day followed by a round at the gym, he went for the dahi handi practise. “He told me he will return home in half an hour. Instead, I received a call from his friends informing me that he was being rushed to a nursing home in Mulund at around 1.30 am. The nursing home then referred us to Sion Hospital,” said Tejashri Parab, his mother, standing by his bed.

Parab said since her son was afraid of heights, he always chose to remain in the bottom tier. “This would have been his ninth dahi handi. The others fell on him leading to his injury,” she said, adding the mandal had almost decided to cancel its sessions the next day, but carried on at the Parabs’ insistence. “They have promised to share their win,” she said.

Dr Mohan Joshi, dean, Sion Hospital, said that Parab was being monitored in the trauma ward, with all diagnostic tests done. “We are doing our best and he is stable at present,” he said.

Parab hopes to make a speedy recovery and is looking forward to resuming work at the private firm where he joined only a week ago.

“I felt numbness in my hands and legs soon after the fall. My office is aware of my injury; I hope I can return soon,” he said.

On the other hand, 21-year-old Prathamesh Sawant remains critical at KEM Hospital. The food delivery boy suffered a fall from the seventh tier at Ghatkopar on August 19. He was rushed to Rajawadi Hospital and later transferred to KEM for better care. Sawant, an orphan, is being looked after by his maternal aunt.

Dr Sangeeta Ravat, dean, KEM Hospital said, “We are giving him conservative treatment. He is in the intensive care unit and conscious.”

Earlier, Sandesh Dalvi, a Kurla resident was admitted to Cooper Hospital on Friday, and later transferred to Nanavati Hospital, in Vile Parle, for further treatment, where he was declared dead.

Dalvi, the only casualty this year, was part of the Shiv Shambho Govinda Pathak in Bamnavada, Vile Parle.

The organiser of the programme -- district president of NCP Riyaz Shaikh (36) -- was lack of safety arrangements. Shaikh was booked under section 336 of the IPC for endangering human life which was later converted into section 304 (a) after the death of the participant.

The incident occurred around 8.30 pm on August 19 when the dahi handi group formed a six-tier human pyramid and attempted to break the handi. Dalvi and his co-participant Vinay Rambade fell from the first and the second tiers respectively, suffering head injuries. Both were rushed to hospital bleeding.

Speaking about Shaikh’s arrest, Sanjay Narvekar, senior police inspector, Vile Parle police station, said, “Safety measures were overlooked by Shaikh, leading to Dalvi’s death while the other is still admitted at Cooper Hospital.”

Shaikh will be produced before a court on Wednesday.

The Bombay high court, in 2014, had directed that dahi handi organisers provide helmets and safety belts to govindas and cushion layers at the venue, to minimise any injury in the case of a fall. The court also placed the responsibility on organisers and respective municipal to provide immediate medical aid and ambulances to ensure that needy injured persons can be shifted to hospitals immediately.

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