Local
Ganeshotsav tragedy in Mumbai: Two dead, four injured in electrocution
Two people, including an 8-year-old girl, died and several others were injured after electric shocks from a loose wire at a stall near a Ganesh pandal in Mumbai’s Lalbaug-Kalachowki area early on Sunday; police have registered an FIR for negligence.
A tragedy during the Ganesh festival in Mumbai left two people dead and four others injured in an electrocution incident.
It happened early on Sunday near a pandal in the Lalbaug-Kalachowki area.
The victims included an 8-year-old girl and a woman.
Police have booked the stall operator for negligence.
Investigators are looking into the electrical fittings at the spot.
At least four others, aged between 8 and 20, were reported to have suffered burn injuries and were undergoing treatment.
Police have registered an FIR against the operator of the nearby stall under Sections 106(1) and 125(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, alleging negligence.
Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita deals with causing death by negligence, and Section 125 deals with acts that endanger life or the personal safety of others.
An investigation has begun into how the loose wire came to be exposed and who was responsible for the electrical fitting.
The Lalbaug area draws large crowds during the Ganesh festival, and pandals and nearby stalls use temporary electrical connections.
Officials and civic bodies usually issue safety advisories about temporary wiring, earthing and open cables before festival crowds gather.
Devotees are advised not to touch loose or hanging wires, especially in wet conditions, and to report exposed cables to local authorities.
Wet conditions raise the risk of electric shocks from damaged wiring in crowded public places, which is why safety advisories stress caution in the monsoon season.
The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, and the woman who died had been admitted to Global Hospital in Parel.
The incident took place at around 2 am on Sunday, September 20, when devotees were present near the Ganesh pandal.
Electric shocks from a loose wire at a cold drink stall near Aastha Hospital on Dattaram Lad Marg in Kalachowki injured several people.
Ganesh festival decoration (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0