Airoli Dahi Handi accident: A 34-year-old Govinda from Ghansoli died after a human pyramid collapsed during a Dahi Handi event at Sainathwadi in Airoli, Navi Mumbai, on Saturday night. Rabale police have registered an accidental death entry and are investigating the circumstances of the incident.
The deceased was identified as Swapnil Sadanand Navar, a resident of the Koliwada area in Ghansoli village. The incident occurred at around 8.30 pm while a Govinda team from Ghansoli was attempting to reach and break the Dahi Handi during an event organised by the Devidas Chougule Pratishthan.
According to the report, Govindas were forming a human pyramid by climbing on top of one another when the structure suddenly lost balance and collapsed. Several participants fell to the ground. Navar sustained serious injuries in the fall.
People present at the venue and fellow team members removed him from the site and took him to a nearby hospital for treatment. Doctors examined him and declared him dead. The news of his death spread through Ghansoli soon afterwards, prompting condolences among his family, friends and residents of the Koliwada area.
The Dahi Handi event had attracted Govinda teams to Sainathwadi for the festival. The report said the precise circumstances in which the human pyramid collapsed, including the number of tiers formed at the time, are being examined by the police. The exact cause of death is also expected to be established through the investigation.
Rabale police reached the location after receiving information about the incident and recorded the case as an accidental death. The police inquiry is expected to examine the arrangements at the venue, the formation of the human pyramid and other circumstances surrounding the fall.
The incident has again brought attention to safety arrangements at public Dahi Handi events, where participants form multi-level human pyramids to reach suspended pots. The report did not provide details of the event’s safety arrangements or identify any action against the organisers. Further information is expected as the police investigation proceeds.
