Dahi Handi in Thane: Five-year-old among nine injured

Thane, Aug 16 (PTI) At least nine `govindas', some of them as young as five- and 10 years old, were injured during Dahi Handi celebrations in Thane city on Saturday, civic officials said in the evening.

A group formed a 10-tier human pyramid and broke records at an event in Vartak Nagar, claimed local Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra minister Pratap Sarnaik.

Clear directions had been issued to event organisers ahead of the festival -- which marks Krishna Janmashtami -- prohibiting the participation of children below the age of 14, said Yasin Tadvi, chief of the Disaster Management Cell, Thane Municipal Corporation.

Five injured govindas -- as the participants who form multi-tier pyramids to break `handi' or pots of curd hung high above the ground are called -- were admitted to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, Kalwa, while four others were rushed to the District Hospital, he said.

Krishna Mithu Swayan (13) of Parsik Nagar fractured her right hand, while ten-year-old Samar Bansilal Rajbhar sustained a head injury. In a more worrying case, five-year-old Nishant Santosh Sawant of Bhandup injured his left shoulder. All three are receiving treatment at the Kalwa hospital.

Shivraj Pawar (10) from Wagle Estate was treated for a left-hand injury at the district hospital.

"Despite repeated instructions, children below 14 years were found participating in pyramids. This is extremely risky," the official said.

Amid heavy rains, a govinda team formed a 10-layer pyramid at the event organised by Purvesh Sarnaik, the son of transport minister Pratap Sarnaik.

The minister claimed it was a "world record" and announced a prize of Rs 25 lakh for the Konkan Nagar Raja Govinda team which achieved the feat. PTI COR KRK