Mumbai, Sept 20 (PTI) Overcrowding and jostling preceded the electrocution tragedy near a Ganapati pandal in Kalachowki neighbourhood in Mumbai’s Lalbaug area early Sunday, which claimed the lives of an eight-year-old girl and a woman, eyewitnesses and locals claimed.
The incident occurred apparently after a short circuit near the entrance gate of the Kalachowki Vibhag Sarvajanik Ustav Mandal’s “Mahaganpati” on Dattaram Lad Marg at 2.20 am, when the area was witnessing massive crowds during the ongoing Ganesh festival, they said.
Electric current was detected at a temporary drinking water and cold drink stall erected near the pandal entrance, officials said The victims included an eight-year-old girl and a woman, while four persons were injured in the electrocution.
As per BMC officials, the incident occurred in a temporary stall on a footpath next to the entry gate of Kalachowki Vibhag Sarvajanik Ustav Mandal’s “Mahaganapati” in the narrow lanes of the Kalachowki area.
The stall has three refrigerators and a stock of mineral water bottles, with branding of a popular cold drink company.
Locals blame overcrowding and jostling among people for the incident.
Amardeep Gosavi, an old office-bearer of the Mandal, told media persons that last night the Dattram Lad Marg witnessed massive crowds. He estimated 50,000 or more people at the time.
Locals alleged mismanagement and crowd management failure by the police. “There was neither adequate police personnel deployment on the road nor was there any crowd management,” they said.
According to residents, police generally put up barricades at the junction of Dr Ambedkar Road and Dattaram Lad Marg around midnight on Saturdays during the Ganapati festival to check the flow of devotees going towards Kalachowki and divert them to Byculla.
At the time of the incident, there was a huge rush in the ‘Mukha darshan’ line, due to which barricades were bent and broken. Also, due to massive crowds going in both directions, the entire road was choked, especially outside Mahaganapati gate.
“Amid jostling of the crowd, some people were pushed to the stall. Due to which the iron beams of the stall broke and they might have come in contact with the electric current,” an eyewitness said, adding that everything happened within a few seconds.
Another eyewitness said that Mandal activists managing the Ganapati pandal queue also suffered an electric shock while helping people. “They used wooden sticks from banners to separate the injured person,” he added.
Rohan Rane, an activist of the Mandal, was inside the pandal when he learnt about the incident.
When he reached the spot, the injured were rushed to adjoining Astha Nursing Home, from where they were later taken to Masina and Global Hospital.
“First, we rushed them to the hospital, holding them in our arms and putting them in wheelchairs, making a way through the crowd. Later, we took them to hospitals on two-wheelers,” Rane said.
People from across Mumbai, extended suburbs and various parts of the country visit Lalbaug during the Ganapati festival.
Residents said crowds of pandal hoppers typically swell on nights preceding weekends and holidays.
Lalbaugcha Raja attracts a particularly large number of devotees. While the Mukh darshan queue allows devotees to catch a glimpse of the idol from a distance, those in the “Charan sparsh” queue are allowed to touch the feet of the idol.
The Mukhdarshan queue, after emerging on roads from Garam Khada Maidan in Lalbaug, stretches towards Byculla through Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marg, Dattaram Lad Marg and TB Karam Marg before joining Dr Ambedkar Road again, according to residents.
They said a huge crowd of people who wanted to join the “Mukh darshan” queue of Lalbaugcha Raja and go towards Kalachowki from the Lalbaug side, and those coming from the opposite direction, created chaos.
The Mukhadarshan queue of Lalbaugcha Raja extends from south to the north footpath of Dattaram Lad Marg, about 100-150 metres from the entry gate of Mahaganapati where the incident happened.
Police officials estimated that lakhs of people could have been present in the Lalbaug area between Saturday midnight and the early hours of Sunday. PTI KK NSK
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