Panvel | September 7, 2026 — Six people were injured after receiving electric shocks during a Dahihandi celebration near a Shiv Sena office in the Line Ali area of Panvel on Saturday, prompting police to begin proceedings against the event organisers, according to Panvel city police. The injured were taken to the Panvel sub-district hospital and other nearby hospitals in two-wheelers and private vehicles after the incident.
Senior Police Inspector Bala Kumbhar told Loksatta that six people had been affected. Two of them recovered at the spot, while the remaining injured people were admitted to hospitals for treatment. Police began the process of registering a case against those responsible for organising the Dahihandi event on Sunday.
The incident occurred while water was being sprayed on young people participating in the celebration. According to the report, the electric shock was believed to have come from live electricity wires in the area. Power supply was shut off within minutes, allowing people in the area to begin rescue efforts. Several young people who were present used motorcycles and other vehicles to transport the injured to medical facilities.
The exact number of people affected was not officially available from the Panvel Municipal Corporation’s disaster management department. The report said the department had no official record of the incident at the time of publication. A video of the rescue effort circulated on social media after the incident, following which government authorities began responding to the event.
The Dahihandi celebration was part of the Navnath handي tradition, which the report describes as having continued in Panvel for more than 200 years. The incident took place while this traditional event was under way near Line Ali. The presence of electrical wires close to a public gathering has raised concerns about safety arrangements for festivals and other events held in dense parts of the city.
The report also referred to earlier concerns expressed by corporators from different political parties about the risks posed by old, British-era electricity wires in Panvel. The issue of placing electricity lines underground has remained unresolved, according to the report. It said residents had questioned whether the accident could have been avoided if that work had been completed earlier.
Police and electricity department officials were investigating the precise cause of the accident. The immediate official steps identified in the report were the police case against the organisers and the continuing examination of the electrical infrastructure and circumstances surrounding the incident.
