11-Year-Old Govinda’s Tragic Fall During Dahi Handi Practice: Mandal Chief Booked for Negligence
11-Year-Old Govinda’s Tragic Fall During Dahi Handi Practice: Mandal Chief Booked for Negligence
What was meant to be a joyful celebration of tradition has turned into a tragedy for a family in Ketkipada, Dahisar. An 11-year-old boy, Mahesh Jadhav, lost his life during a Dahi Handi practice session on Sunday after falling from the sixth level of a human pyramid. The heartbreaking incident has triggered a police investigation and raised serious concerns over child safety during such high-risk cultural events.
Mahesh, who had been participating in the Dahi Handi celebrations for nearly four to five years despite being underage, slipped during practice and fell without any protective gear or safety arrangements in place. He was not wearing a helmet, and no mattresses or team members were positioned to break his fall. He sustained severe injuries and succumbed shortly after.
His mother, Sangeetha Jadhav, lodged a complaint with the Dahisar police following the incident. Acting on the complaint, the police registered a case against Navtarun Mitra Mandal president Balaji Surnar and three others under Sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence) and 223 (disobedience to public servant’s order) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Authorities confirmed that around 30-40 members were present at the time of the practice. As Mahesh reached the sixth tier of the human pyramid, he reportedly lost grip on the rope and tumbled directly to the ground. His fall was neither cushioned nor prevented, which proved fatal. This tragic incident has prompted the Navtarun Mitra Mandal to cancel its participation in this year’s Janmashtami festival.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MLA Prakash Surve has extended support to the grieving family by announcing a financial aid of ₹5 lakh. Considering the child’s father struggles with alcohol addiction, Surve stated that the funds would be transferred directly to Mahesh’s mother, Sangeetha. However, she currently lacks identification documents and a bank account, hindering the disbursement. The MLA has assured assistance in helping her obtain necessary documentation and open an account to receive the compensation.
Mahesh was the eldest of four children. The Jadhav family lives in a rented home in Dharkhadi, with the father working as a daily wage labourer and Sangeetha being a homemaker.
Notably, in July, the Maharashtra government had announced insurance coverage for 1.5 lakh Govinda participants through Oriental Insurance Company, assuring a compensation of up to ₹10 lakh in case of fatalities during Dahi Handi. However, it’s unclear whether Mahesh’s participation was registered under the scheme.
According to a 2017 directive upheld by the Bombay High Court, children below 14 years of age are not permitted to take part in Dahi Handi events, a rule which was clearly violated in this case. Despite this, police officials revealed that Mahesh had been an active participant for several years and had even broken the handi during a past event.
Dahi Handi, a visually striking and high-energy part of Janmashtami celebrations in Maharashtra, involves teams (Govindas) forming human pyramids to reach and break a clay pot suspended high above the ground. But year after year, the tradition sees a high number of injuries. In 2022 and 2023, the number of injured Govindas was 111 and 107 respectively. In 2024, during last year’s festivities, a total of 245 Govindas were injured—213 of whom were treated and discharged on the same day, while 32 required hospital admission.
