Mumbai Lalbaug Ganpati Festival Tragedy: 8-Year-Old Girl, Woman Die After Electric Shock Near Stall, Police Book Stall Operator

· Free Press Journal

Mumbai: An eight-year-old girl and a 33-year-old woman were killed while four others sustained serious injuries after an electric current allegedly passed through a temporary drinking-water/beverage stall near the entrance of the Mahaganpati Utsav Mandal on Dattaram Lad Marg in Kalachowki, Mumbai, early on September 20.

Two killed in electric shock

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The deceased have been identified as Ragini Ghanshyam Yadav, 8, and Sujata Balraj Thodeti, 33. Among the injured, 12-year-old Ruhi Shailesh Singh is in critical condition and is undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Global Hospital.

The other injured persons have been identified as Kiran Akbar Naik, 19, a resident of Thona Phatak, Karjat; Naresh Hande, 19, from Karjat; and Sahil Sandip Tare, 19, from Bhiwandi. All four injured persons are currently undergoing treatment at different hospitals, police said.

Family visits Ganpati celebrations

According to the complaint filed by Sangita Ghanshyam Yadav, 35, a homemaker and mother of the deceased girl, the Yadav family had come to the Lalbaug area to witness Ganpati celebrations.

Sangita, who has been undergoing treatment for a thyroid-related condition, had been staying with her family at her father Shyamsunder Ramlakhan Yadav's residence in Mankhurd East for the past two to three months.

She had arrived in Mumbai with her husband Ghanshyam Yadav, 40, elder daughter Nandini, son Rohan and younger daughter Ragini, who was studying in Class III at Gopalpur Primary School in Uttar Pradesh.

The family left Mankhurd at around 12.15 am on September 20 and reached the Lalbaug area at approximately 1.30 am. They proceeded along Dattaram Lad Marg towards the Ganpati pandal and noticed several temporary food and beverage stalls set up on both sides of the road.

Crowd panic after shock

At around 2 am, the family stopped near a soft-drink stall close to Aastha Hospital. According to the complaint, Ragini's foot came into contact with an electrical wire at the stall.

She allegedly suffered a severe electric shock, collapsed and became unconscious. Several other people standing nearby were also reportedly electrocuted.

The incident triggered panic in the crowded area, with several people reportedly collapsing after coming into contact with the live electrical current.

People present at the spot switched off the electrical supply to the stall and rushed the injured to Aastha Hospital for preliminary treatment.

However, as the required treatment was reportedly not available there, Ragini and four others were subsequently shifted to Masina Hospital Trust in Byculla by ambulance.

Doctors at Masina Hospital examined Ragini and declared her dead before admission at around 2.43 am. Sujata Thodeti, who was taken to Global Hospital, was also declared dead by doctors, police said.

Police begin investigation

Following the incident, personnel from Kalachowki police station rushed to the spot and cordoned off the entire area.

The bodies of the two deceased were sent for post-mortem examination, and an investigation was initiated.

An eyewitness who was present at the spot said she and her family had joined the queue for Ganpati darshan at around 2 am. As the crowd became extremely heavy, they decided to return home.

While moving along the side of the queue, the family stopped near a shop where there was some space to stand. They reportedly decided to wait there until the crowd thinned.

According to the eyewitness, her two daughters, Kalpana and Neha, also received electric shocks. When she and her son attempted to pull the girls away, they too reportedly received shocks.

The eyewitness questioned whether the organisers would be able to bring back the life lost in the incident and alleged that adequate safety precautions should have been taken around the temporary stalls and electrical connections.

Mumbai: FIR Filed After Kalachowki Electrocution Claims 2 Lives, Injures 4; Stall Operator Booked Under BNS Sections

Safety concerns raised

Local residents said a wooden board or plank had been installed near the beverage stall. Water had reportedly accumulated on the board.

According to their account, when the board was disturbed, the water came into contact with an electrical wire, allegedly causing the surrounding area to become electrically charged and resulting in multiple people receiving electric shocks.

The exact sequence of events and the source of the electrical leakage are yet to be established through the police investigation.

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Stall operator booked

Based on Sangita Yadav's complaint, Kalachowki police have registered a case against Kamal Shetty, the operator of the beverage stall, under Sections 106(1) and 125(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Police have alleged that the incident occurred after an electrical wire at the stall was left improperly and negligently, resulting in the deaths of two persons.

The police are investigating the electrical arrangements at the stall, the circumstances that led to the leakage of current, and whether adequate safety measures were in place at the temporary stall during the Ganpati festivities.

The incident has also raised questions over electrical safety arrangements around temporary stalls and crowded festival venues, particularly where water and electrical connections are located in close proximity.

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