Mumbai/Pune, September 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Dahi Handi celebrations in Maharashtra were marred by two fatal accidents on Saturday, with a seven-year-old boy killed in Mumbai and a 45-year-old woman dying in Pimpri-Chinchwad. More than 120 participants were injured across Mumbai and Thane during the festivities.
In Mumbai’s Malad West, seven-year-old Rudra Kadam died after a brick structure collapsed during a Dahi Handi event at Ekta Welfare Society in Chikuwadi, Malvani.
According to reports, organisers had tied safety and support ropes for the Dahi Handi to a nearby tree and a ground-floor brick column of an under-construction building. The column reportedly gave way under the tension generated during attempts to break the Handi.
The collapsing structure struck Rudra on the head. He was rushed to Malvani General Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Police and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) ward officials reached the site and began investigating the incident.
In another tragedy in Old Sangvi, Pimpri-Chinchwad, 45-year-old Salma Salauddin Pathan died after an iron structure erected for the celebrations collapsed on her late Saturday night.
The incident occurred after the Vighnaharta Mandal event had concluded. Workers were dismantling an iron arch and sound system when a heavy metal section fell and struck Salma on the head. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.
Salma had attended the event with her husband, Salauddin, to support their son Rahim Pathan, a volunteer with the Vighnaharta Mandal.
The family declined to lodge a formal complaint against the organisers, saying the youths involved were like family and they did not want to jeopardise their future. However, Sangvi Police Station Senior Police Inspector Jitendra Koli said a case of accidental death had been registered.
Meanwhile, official data released by state and BMC health authorities showed that 118 Govindas had sustained injuries across Mumbai by 6.30 p.m. Of these, 80 were undergoing treatment, 33 had been discharged after primary care and five remained admitted because of the severity of their injuries.
City hospitals recorded 83 injured persons, with 67 under treatment, 15 discharged and one admitted. In the eastern suburbs, 21 people were injured, including seven under treatment, 10 discharged and four admitted. The western suburbs reported 14 injuries, with six under treatment and eight discharged.
Major government hospitals, including KEM, Nair and Sion, as well as suburban facilities, remained on alert with reserved beds and trauma teams. Most injuries involved fractures, lacerations and contusions caused by falls.
In Thane, at least 10 Govindas were injured and admitted to hospitals, including four at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital and six at the District Government Hospital. Their injuries included fractures and back, neck and head injuries.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other political leaders had issued advisories urging party workers and organisers to follow safety protocols, avoid controversial or unsafe setups and ensure immediate medical assistance for injured participants.
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