22-foot Bhuleshwar Ganpati idol collapse kills 2, injures 5 during arrival procession in Mumbai

Hundreds gathered for the last rites of the victims at Chandanwari crematorium at Marine Lines.

The mood was sombre in Bhuleshwar on Saturday, the day after a 22-foot Ganpati idol, the Bhuleshwarcha Raja, collapsed during its arrival procession and killed two individuals and left five injured.

Relatives and friends gather at Chandanwadi Crematorium for the funeral of Sanket Nevashe, president of the Bhuleshwar Cha Raja Ganpati Mandal, who was among the two people killed after the 22-foot Ganpati idol collapsed. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

Hundreds gathered for the last rites of the victims at Chandanwari crematorium at Marine Lines. The accident had turned what was meant to be a festive welcome for Bappa into a day of grief. The Bhuleshwar market remained shut on Sunday.

Tragedy struck at around 9.51pm on Saturday near Jai Ambe Chowk, not far from the famous Bhuleshwar Cha Raja Ganpati Mandal, where the idol was to be installed. The plaster of Paris (POP) idol was being brought from a workshop in Byculla when its garland first fell and a portion of the idol broke loose from its moorings and came crashing down on people gathered in the procession.

The Akhil Bhuleshwar Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandal president Sanket Nevase, 33, and a resident of the locality, Brijesh Hemant Joshi, 30, were struck by the falling idol and died on the spot. The cause of the idol collapse is yet to be ascertained.

Abhi S, an office-bearer of the Bhuleshwar mandal, said they would meet to decide whether the mandal would celebrate Ganeshotsav this year and whether another idol would be brought in.

Kalpesh Shah, Brijesh Joshi’s neighbour and a resident of Shreepati Aradhana, said Brijesh worked as an accountant at an agency in Film City. Although Brijesh was not a member of the mandal, Shah said he participated every year in welcoming Bhuleshwarcha Raja. “Every year, when the idol is brought into our lane, we perform an aarti. We have been doing this for nearly 60 years,” he said.

Residents say they cannot recall such a tragedy during Ganpati celebrations in Bhuleshwar. Sharadbhai Pethiwala, a resident of Shreepati Aradhana building, said everyone knew Brijesh since childhood. He is survived by his mother, his wife Reema, 28, two-year-old son Rishiv, and younger brother, Yash, who works as a helper in a Monginis store.

The other deceased, Sanket Nevase, was the son of the Bhuleshwar mandal’s former president Jagannath Nevase. After his father’s death, Sanket took over the mandal and was also the Shiv Sena deputy divisional head from Colaba. Residents described him as humble and helpful. His sister Snehal was too distraught to speak. “I have lost my brother,” is all she managed to say.

The tragedy has triggered demands for restrictions on the height of Ganpati idols. Residents said mandals should stop competing over idol sizes and restrict them to around 12 to 15 feet to ensure safer movement through narrow lanes.

The Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti (BSGSS) has also appealed to Ganesh mandals across Mumbai to keep their upcoming idol arrival ceremonies subdued following Saturday’s tragedy.

Committee president Naresh Dahibavkar said they have urged mandals whose arrival ceremonies are yet to take place to avoid bands, musical performances and other forms of revelry as a mark of respect to the victims. “We will conduct a meeting regarding restrictions on the height of idols,” he said.

Meanwhile, the five persons injured by the idol collapse are: Vaibhav Ghenand, 38, Pawan Chaurasia, 25, Kunal Kashid, 26, and sisters Lavanya Gunnar, 5, and Divya Gunnar, 7. While Ghemand and Chaurasiya are still in hospital, the other three have been discharged.