BTech student dies during Ganesh procession, family blames loud music | Hyderabad News
Hyderabad: A 19-year-old engineering student participating in a Ganesh Agaman procession died after allegedly suffering a heart attack on Saturday evening. Family members of the teenager, S Badrinath, alleged that the loud music played by a DJ led to his death, even as police suspect that a stampede-like situation may have contributed to the tragedy.Based on a complaint by his father, Musheerabad police registered a case under Section 194 (suspicious death) of the BNSS. Cops said the incident occurred around 8.30 pm on Saturday when the procession was passing through the Ram Nagar crossroads in Musheerabad.According to them, a crowd of nearly 10,000 people had gathered for the celebratory procession, with participants playing loud music and bursting crackers.“When the crackers burst, people in the procession, including Badrinath, who was standing at a sweet shop, started rushing away. This led to jostling and chaos. Though there was no stampede, the teenager may have struggled to get enough oxygen amid the crowd and collapsed,” said L Rajesh, sub-inspector, Musheerabad. “We need to investigate further to ascertain the exact cause of death,” he added.Initially, no one attended to Badrinath when he fell to the ground. Later, a policeman noticed him and tried to administer CPR. When there was no improvement, he rushed the student to Gandhi Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.Following the incident, Badrinath’s family claimed that the blaring DJ and deafening sound of firecrackers led to the BTech student’s death. Musheerabad police, however, denied that a DJ was used during the procession. They claimed that the music system and some speakers were transported in a separate vehicle, which was far away from where Badrinath collapsed. They added that minutes before his death, Badrinath was dancing along with others in the procession that was taking the Ganesh idol to a nearby lane in Ram Nagar ahead of the festival.Preliminary reports indicate that he had suffered a heart attack. However, Badrinath’s mother, Vijaya Lakshmi, claimed that the blaring DJ music might have resulted in the tragedy and appealed to the police on Sunday to take steps to prevent the use of DJs during such celebrations.“What kind of grand celebration is this with loud music, firecrackers and other disturbances? I appeal to the police to ensure that no other mother loses her son like this,” she said.According to her, Badrinath left home in the morning and later went to participate in the procession with his friend from the colony. During the bursting of crackers, they lost sight of each other and went in different directions.Musheerabad police said they are investigating the incident to ascertain the exact cause of the student’s sudden death.In the past, Hyderabad police have appealed to organisers not to engage DJs as their use in processions is prohibited. However, the guidelines have often been flouted by some organisers, and there have been several instances of processions being conducted with DJs in violation of the rules.
Source link
