Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar has asked Ganpati mandals across Mumbai to strictly prioritise devotee safety and crowd management during Ganeshotsav 2026 after an electrocution incident near a pandal in Kalachowki killed two women and injured four others.
Shelar made the appeal after visiting KEM Hospital, where he met the families of eight-year-old Ragini Ghanshyam Yadav and 33-year-old Sujata. The two women died after suffering electric shocks near a temporary drinking water stall outside the Kalachowki Mahaganpati Utsav Mandal, according to a PTI report.
The incident took place at around 2.20 am near the entrance gate of the pandal at Digvijay Mill Chawl on Dattaram Lad Marg. Officials said a short circuit apparently occurred in the area while the locality was experiencing heavy crowds of devotees. Four other people were injured in the incident.
During his visit to the hospital, Shelar expressed condolences to Ragini’s father and Sujata’s husband. He said the authorities had been instructed to provide all necessary administrative assistance to the affected families.
Shelar also directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Mumbai Police to make arrangements for transporting Sujata’s mortal remains to her husband’s native village. The minister said police had registered a First Information Report in connection with the electrocution incident.
The minister urged mandals to follow the safety regulations and guidelines issued by the administration. He asked organisers to remain particularly vigilant about crowd movement, safety around pandals and the overall arrangements made for devotees.
Shelar said Ganeshotsav was a festival of faith, enthusiasm and social harmony, but added that the safety of citizens and devotees must remain the top priority. He also appealed to devotees to cooperate with safety measures implemented by the administration and Ganpati mandals.
The minister said instructions had been issued to the Mumbai Police and the BMC following the incident. Further action will proceed through the police investigation and the administrative assistance being arranged for the affected families.
