As many as 153 people were injured in dahi handi celebrations on Monday, of which 70 were admitted to various city hospitals while the others were discharged after treatment.
In Dharavi, a 26-year-old man, who had an epileptic attack, died soon after falling from the first tier of the pyramid. Kush Avinash Khandare was taken to Sion Hospital where the doctors could not revive him. Doctors said he did not have any internal or external injuries.
Height of faith: A sequence of shots showing a participant falling from a human pyramid during dahi handi celebration at Agripada on Monday. The youth escaped without injuries; (below) members of Jai Jawan Govinda Pathak seen forming a nine-tier human pyramid at Hiranandani Meadows in Thane.
“The people who brought Khandare to the hospital said he had a convulsion while he was on the first tier, and fell down. However, the patient had no history of epilepsy. Post-mortem was conducted and samples were sent for furter examination at forensic science labroratyr at Kalina,” a doctor at Sion Hospital said. Twelve patients were admitted with fractures and head injuries, of whom two are below 10 years. One patient took discharge against medical advice.
At KEM Hospital in Parel, four patients including a minor were admitted and more than 16 were treated at the outpatient department (OPD). “Most of them were treated for abrasions and blunt trauma while a few had fractures,” Dr. Pravin Bangar, assistant dean, KEM Hospital, said.
The minor patient, Piyush Gupta, was on the topmost sixth tier of the pyramid and had suffered injury to his ribs. Members of Khapri Devi Krida Mandal to which Piyush was attached claimed he was 15 years old but he looked much younger. The members refused to divulge details but said all of them had worn safety gear.
Vicky Ingde (24) of Bhakti Seva Mandal and Ajit Shirsat (22) of Shivray Pratisthan Mandal were admitted with head injuries. Mr. Ingde’s CT scan did not show any internal injury. Among the other patients who were rushed to KEM was 21-year-old Mitesh Warel, who was hit by a motorcycle when he was about to climb a pyramid in Sion.
At JJ Hospital, three patients were admitted, which included a nine-year-old boy who suffered a head injury. St George Hospital treated five patients at its OPD while Nair Hospital treated seven.
Last year, the government had put a ban on children below 14 years to participate in dahi handi.
