05 September,2026 09:53 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Male and female govindas participate in a Dahi Handi celebration in Dadar, Mumbai, on Saturday. PIC/ASHISH RAJE
As many as 168 govindas were reported injured during Dahi Handi celebrations across Mumbai till 9 pm on Saturday, according to information received from various government and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) hospitals.
Of those injured, 29 were admitted, 81 were under treatment and 58 had been discharged.
The celebrations also turned tragic in Maharashtra, with a seven-year-old boy in Mumbai and a woman in Pune losing their lives in incidents linked to Dahi Handi events.
Of the 168 injured govindas reported in Mumbai, hospitals in the central suburbs accounted for the highest number of cases at 106. Of these, 18 were admitted, 52 were under treatment, and 36 had been discharged.
Hospitals in the eastern suburbs reported 29 injured govindas, including six admissions. Eight were under treatment and 15 had been discharged.
In the western suburbs, 33 govindas were reported injured. Five were admitted, 21 were under treatment and seven had been discharged.
Among individual hospitals, KEM Hospital reported the highest number of injured govindas at 33. Six were admitted, 12 were under treatment and 15 had been discharged.
Rajawadi Hospital reported 20 injured govindas, with six admitted, five under treatment and nine discharged. Nair Hospital reported 17 injured, including four admissions, while 13 remained under treatment.
Potdar Hospital reported 16 injured govindas, all of whom had been discharged. Hinduja Hospital reported 14 injured, with two admitted and 12 under treatment.
BDBA Hospital reported 13 injured govindas, of whom two were admitted, four were under treatment and seven had been discharged.
Sion Hospital reported eight injured govindas, with four admitted and four under treatment.
Until 6 pm, the BMC had reported 118 injuries in Mumbai. Of these, five had been admitted, while 80 had received preliminary treatment, and 33 had been discharged. KEM had reported 29 cases, followed by Nair Hospital with 17, and Rajawadi Hospital with 13.
Meanwhile, in Malvani, a seven-year-old boy, Rudra Kadam, died after a brick column collapsed on him at Ekta Welfare Society in Chikuwadi around 3 pm. A group of children had reportedly been celebrating Dahi Handi on their own, with one end of the rope holding the handi tied to a tree and the other to a brick column of a ground-floor structure.
As the children attempted to break the handi, the column collapsed, burying Rudra under the debris. Bystanders pulled him out and rushed him to Malvani General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Ward staff and police personnel were mobilised following the incident.
In Pune, Salma Salauddin Pathan, a resident of Old Sangavi in Pimpri Chinchwad, died after a temporary iron structure supporting a stack of loudspeakers at a Dahi Handi event collapsed on her on Friday night. Police said workers were dismantling the structure after an event organised by Vighnaharta Mandal when a heavy portion fell on her. She suffered a serious head injury and was declared dead at a hospital.
An accidental death report was registered in the Pune case, with police investigating the collapse. Pathan's son was an office-bearer of the organising mandal, and the family declined to lodge a complaint against the organisers.
Dahi Handi is part of the Janmashtami festival marking the birth of Lord Krishna. As part of the tradition, govindas form multi-tier human pyramids to break clay pots filled with curd suspended above the ground.
The festival is celebrated across Maharashtra, with Dahi Handi events in Mumbai and neighbouring areas attracting large crowds, prizes, celebrity appearances and entertainment programmes.
The latest injury figures come amid repeated appeals for caution during the celebrations. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, speaking at the Dahi Handi celebrations at Tembhi Naka in Thane, urged govindas to prioritise safety over the height of human pyramids.
"Break the pot, but protect life. Remember that your parents are waiting for you at home. Every govinda must ensure their teammates do not get injured," he said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who visited Dahi Handi events in Worli, Dadar and Ghatkopar, also urged citizens, particularly youngsters, to stay away from addiction and said the celebrations should strengthen the âDrug-Free Maharashtra' campaign. In Worli, he symbolically broke the handi to mark the beginning of the celebrations.
The police stepped up security across Mumbai, deploying additional personnel in sensitive areas during the festival. The BMC had also kept more than 100 beds ready at civic hospitals in the city and suburbs for treating injured govindas. Health officers and staff were deployed in three shifts, while hospitals were directed to maintain adequate stocks of medicines, injections and surgical material.
Neighbouring Thane reported 12 injured govindas admitted to hospitals during the celebrations.
(With PTI inputs)
