Dalvi had studied up to SSC and did odd jobs for a living. He was unmarried and stayed with his parents and brother in Vidyavihar. For several years, Dalvi had participated as a ‘Govinda’ in Dahi Handi events.Hours after completing 24-year-old Sandesh Dalvi’s last rites on Tuesday, his family members told The Indian Express that he would have been alive had the organisers of the Dahi Handi at Mumbai’s Vile Parle (East) taken adequate safety measures. Dalvi died on Monday after falling from the fifth tier – a height of around 25 feet – of a human pyramid formed to break a clay pot as part of Janmashtami celebrations in Bamanwada.
The Dahi Handi event on August 19 was organized by Riyaz Shaikh, 36, a local leader of the Nationalist Congress Party in Vile Parle. Around 8.30 pm, the Shivshambho Govind Pathak, a group from Chemburkarwadi in Vile Parle (East), was attempting a six-tier human pyramid when two men from the top two tiers fell on the road and suffered head injuries. A video of the incident has since gone viral. Shaikh was arrested by the Vile Parle police on Tuesday on charges of causing death due to negligence and granted bail.
“The organisers should have taken safety measures. A helmet could have saved his life,” Dalvi’s brother Yogesh, a cab driver, told The Indian Express. A police officer from Vile Parle police station concurred. “The safety measures given by the government, which include providing helmets, safety nets and harness were not followed,” the officer said.
Dalvi had studied up to SSC and did odd jobs for a living. He was unmarried and stayed with his parents and brother in Vidyavihar. For several years, Dalvi had participated as a ‘Govinda’ in Dahi Handi events.
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Yogesh alleged that the treatment at Cooper Hospital was inadequate and added that a Shiv Sena leader took care of their medical expenses. The family also received a cheque of Rs 10 lakh as compensation, which was declared by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Incidentally, none of the participants were to make any money from the event as the entire prize money was to be used for religious purposes. “Dalvi was not going to get a single penny from the Dahi Handis. The money collected was to be used to provide food to people during Shivratri later this year. We were to get Rs 3,000 to break that particular handi,” said Sanjay Wagre, 52, president of Shiv Shambo Govind Pathak.
Wagre’s mandal was established 20 years ago and has been participating at Dahi Handi events for the last 15 years. Around 100 people participated in the event at Vile Parle last Friday.
“The mandal did not have any insurance and did not practice enough. They organised the Dahi Handi in a haphazard manner, in a hurry, and they should not have formed a six- tier handi,” a relative of Dalvi said.
Wagre admitted that the practice sessions were not enough this year. “I am heart broken. It was our responsibility to ensure their son reaches home safely. We are introspecting. We spent some 20-odd days for practising. That day, we erected a six-tier pyramid five times and gave a salute. If you see the video of the incident, even the sixth time, we successfully broke the Dahi Handi but the rope broke and the two atop the handi, including Dalvi, fell down. If you see the video, the three men below Dalvi remain intact. They did not fall,” Wagre said.
Vinay Rambade, 22, from Vile Parle fell along with Dalvi. While Rambade became unconscious and was bleeding from his nose and ears, Dalvi was bleeding from his nose and ears. The two were first rushed to Babasaheb Gawde Hospital in Vile Parle and later shifted to Cooper Hospital for better treatment. Dalvi was shifted to Nanavati Hospital on Sunday where he succumbed on Monday. Rambade is now recovering.