Woman and 8-year-old girl electrocuted at Mumbai Ganesh pandal, 4 hospitalised

A woman and an 8-year-old girl died after an electric shock at a Ganesh pandal in Mumbai's Kalachowki, while four others were hospitalised, including a 12-year-old girl in critical condition.The aunt of the dead eight-year-old girl blames pandal organisers for lack of saftey measures at site.A woman and an eight-year-old girl died after an electric shock at the Mahaganpati Utsav Mandal in Mumbai’s Kalachowki in the early hours of Sunday, September 20. Four others were hospitalised following the incident, including a 12-year-old girl who was admitted to the ICU in critical condition.The incident occurred near the entrance gate of the Ganeshotsav mandal, where a temporary drinking water stall had been installed. According to information from the BMC’s Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB), an electric current was detected at the stall.The incident reportedly occurred around 2 am. The fire brigade switched off the electrical supply and cordoned off the area as a precaution.Six people were affected in the incident. Five of those affected were initially taken to Masina Hospital, while one was shifted to Global Hospital. At Masina Hospital, the eight-year-old girl was declared dead. Kiran Akbar Naik, 19, Tanvi Naresh Hande, 19, and Sahil Sandip Tare, 19, were admitted, and their conditions were reported stable.At Global Hospital, Sujata, aged 33 according to the incident information, was declared dead. A 12-year-old girl was admitted to the ICU in critical condition. The aunt of the deceased eight-year-old girl, Kishmati Yadav, said that the family initially went towards the pandal but decided to turn back because of the heavy crowd. They then stopped near a shop beside the mandap, intending to wait for the crowd to thin out before returning home rather than entering the pandal for darshan.The aunt of the deceased eight-year-old girl, Kishmati Yadav, said the family reached the area at around 2 am on Sunday. She said they initially went towards the pandal but decided to turn back because of the heavy crowd.According to Yadav, the family then stopped near a shop beside the mandap, where they planned to wait for the crowd to reduce before returning home instead of entering the pandal for darshan.She said electrical lights had been installed near the mandap and alleged that adequate safety measures had not been put in place despite the large gathering for Ganeshotsav.According to Yadav, a covering or sheet had been placed near the pandal, where rainwater had accumulated. She alleged that when the water fell, an electrical light also fell towards people nearby, resulting in the electric shock. Yadav said two of her children, Kalpana and Neha, were affected by the electric current. She claimed the children developed foam or froth from their mouths. She said her son and another boy who had a card helped pull the children away from the area.She added that she also tried to pull one of her children away but received an electric shock herself.Following the incident, Yadav alleged that the pandal organisers were responsible for the lack of adequate safety measures. She questioned why proper electrical precautions had not been taken despite the large crowd and the presence of temporary electrical installations around the pandal.She also alleged that authorities, including the BMC and other government agencies, had not adequately addressed safety risks associated with such temporary installations.Following the incident, BEST officials inspected the site at Digvijay Mill Chawl on Dattaram Lad Marg in Kalachowki, near pole number DLM-14.According to information provided by BEST, a temporary meter bearing number M217392 had been installed for Ganpati Utsav illumination and a cold drink stall.During the inspection, officials found that the wiring and MCB connected to the temporary meter had already been disconnected by a local electrician.The power supply at the site remained switched off, with the supply partially cut off. A BEST fuseman was present at the location, while Kalachowki Police requested the Meter Inspector to attend the inspection.- EndsPublished By: Akshat TrivediPublished On: Sep 20, 2026 08:40 IST