Dahi Handi 2018 | One dead, 150 injured during celebrations in Mumbai

One died and 150 others were injured on Monday during the Dahi Handi festivities in Mumbai, police said.

According to a Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) official, a 20-year old Kush Khandare, a reveller lost his life in Mumbai’s Dharavi while climbing up the human pyramid to break the pots.

He was taken to Sion Hospital where doctors declared him dead before admission, a senior police officer said.

“Viscera samples has been sent for chemical analysis and histopathology,” said Dr Jayashree Mondkar, dean of Mumbai’s civic-run hospital.

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Another 150 Govindas were suffered injured in separate incidents, out of which 70 are still admitted in civil, state and private-run hospitals respectively, adding most of the injured Govindas sustained fractures, said police.

The festival, which marks the birth of Lord Krishna, was celebrated with enthusiasm across Mumbai, including in areas like Ghatkopar, Dadar, Lalbaug and Bhandup.

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The Dahi Handi ritual is part of the Janmashtami festival in Maharashtra, where youngsters (called Govindas), dressed in colourful attire, make human pyramid to reach an earthen pot containing buttermilk and suspended in mid-air, and break it.

Religious institutions, political leaders and Govinda mandals took part in the Dahi Handi celebrations which were marked by frequent chants of “Govinda aala re” (Govinda has come).

(With PTI inputs)

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