After 3 youths were electrocuted, mandal immerses Ganesh idol

Three youths were electrocuted on Monday night after an electric wire fell on a Ganesh idol which was covered with plastic at Ulhasnagar. The youths were sitting on an iron trolley and two of them died.

Three youths were electrocuted on Monday night after an electric wire fell on a Ganesh idol which was covered with plastic at Ulhasnagar. The youths were sitting on an iron trolley and two of them died.

Ganesh idol of Ulhasnagar Jai Mata Di Mandal’s being immersed at Kalyan Durgadi Ganesh ghat , after an overhead live wire fell on the idol in which two boys died and one was injured in Kalyan, on Tuesday, August 30, 2016. (Rishikesh Choudhary/ Hindustan Times)

Shaken by the incident, Jai Mata Di mandal of Ulhasnagar decided to immerse the idol at Ganesh ghat in Kalyan.

The dead are Hitesh Talreja,17,and Hitesh Sachsev, 20. A youth identified as Kumar suffered injuries and was discharged after first aid.

On Monday, the mandal organisers went to Parel’s Ganpati workshop around 9.30am to bring a 15ft-idol.

Around 10pm, the group reached near Super Point Hotel. A member of Jai Mata Di mandal said: “We were heading to Dashera maidan which was just a few metres away when the Ganesh idol touched an electric wire. As the idol was covered with plastic, our three mandal members who were sitting on the trolley were electrocuted.”

The three were taken to a hospital where Talreja and Sachdeva declared dead. Kumar was discharged.

He added, “The two were college students. The mandal members are in shock and decided not to celebrate the festival. So, instead of taking the idol to the pandal, we immersed it in Ganesh Ghat.”

A worker from Parel workshop said, “We have alerted the other mandals to take care while taking idols.”

Investigation officer P Khade from Central police station said, “We have lodged an accidental death report.”