A human pyramid at a Dahi Handi celebration in Mumbai
Days after the Supreme Court banned the participation of children under the age of 12 in the Dahi Handi festival in view of fatal accidents, over 100 revellers were injured today. In Mumbai, 84 people sustained injuries of which 12 had to be hospitalised. In Thane, 14 were admitted to hospitals with serious injuries. A man also died - reportedly of a heart attack.
The Dahi Handi festival, held on the occasion of Janmashtami, is a re-enactment of Lord Krishna's childhood escapade of stealing buttermilk from pots hung high in the kitchen. These days, it is a competition for big money, in which people form human pyramids to reach the pot, hung sometimes as high as 40 feet from the ground.
Most injuries are sustained when participants fall - and following the death of a boy in Navi Mumbai on August 10, the Bombay high court had banned the participation of minors in the event. But four days later, the Supreme Court amended the age bar.
The 46-year-old man who died in Thane's Lalbaugh was not participating in human pyramids. He was one of the dancers and died after a heart attack, Thane Municipal official Santosh Kadam told PTI.
The accidents in Mumbai, however, took place despite police watch. Throughout the day, many children were seen participating in the festivities but all of them claimed to be above 12 years of age.
The safety concern had cast a doubt over the festivities but most committees maintained that they have not broken any rules. Most of the participants demanded that Dahi Handi should be made a sport with proper rules and safety measures.
A case, however, was registered against a committee's chairman for enrolling a 10-year-old child as a participant.
"Most mandals are trying to function according to the Supreme Court's order but there are some people who are encouraging children below the age of 12 to participate in the festivities for money. But this practice has reduced by 90 percent this year," said Praveen Wadekar, an instructor.