Dahi Handi celebrations in Maharashtra turned tragic after a seven-year-old boy was killed in Mumbai’s Malad and a 45-year-old woman lost her life in Pune in separate incidents on Friday.
In Malad’s Chikuwari area, the young boy, identified as Rudra Kadam, suffered fatal injuries when a brick column collapsed during a Dahi Handi celebration at Ekta Welfare Society. According to the report, children were participating in the celebration when the handi, which had been suspended using a rope secured between a tree and brick columns on the ground floor, was being broken.
The brick structure suddenly gave way and struck Rudra, causing severe injuries to his head. He was immediately taken to Malvani General Hospital for emergency treatment. However, doctors declared the seven-year-old dead on arrival. Police personnel and civic ward staff reached the location after being alerted about the incident.
The tragedy in Mumbai came alongside another fatal accident in Pune, where 45-year-old Salma Salauddin Pathan died after being struck by a collapsing iron frame used to support loudspeakers at a Dahi Handi event.
Pathan, who lived in Old Sangavi in Pimpri Chinchwad, was reportedly near the venue after the celebrations organised by Vighnaharta Mandal had concluded. Workers were dismantling the temporary structure when a heavy section of the iron frame collapsed on her.
She sustained critical head injuries and was taken to a hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead, police said.
According to police, Pathan’s son was an office-bearer of the organising mandal. Her family reportedly chose not to pursue a complaint against the organisers and requested that the police not register a case on their own. Authorities have instead registered an accidental death report and are examining the circumstances surrounding the collapse.
The Pune incident has also drawn attention to the continuing debate over the use of high-decibel sound systems, commonly referred to as DJs, during festival celebrations. The issue has become a point of discussion in the city following concerns raised by local activist Vidyanand Bapat.
Meanwhile, Mumbai’s Dahi Handi festivities also resulted in multiple injuries. Civic officials said 32 Govindas participating in human pyramids were injured during celebrations across the city. Of these, 25 were treated and discharged from hospitals, while the remaining injured participants continued to receive medical care.
Dahi Handi is traditionally celebrated as part of Janmashtami, marking the birth of Lord Krishna. The festival attracts large crowds across Mumbai, Thane and other parts of Maharashtra, with Govindas forming human pyramids to reach and break clay pots filled with curd suspended above the ground.
Over the years, Dahi Handi celebrations organised by political leaders and community groups have grown into major public events, often featuring large prize pools, celebrity appearances and entertainment programmes. However, the incidents in Mumbai and Pune have highlighted the importance of safety measures and structural precautions during large-scale festival gatherings.
