At least four people, including two minors, were killed and over 150 were injured in kite string injuries and accidents in central Gujarat on the occasion of Uttrayan on Wednesday.
A 33-year-old man was electrocuted on Waghodia Road while trying to catch a kite string that had been entangled in an electric wire. According to officers of the Bapod police station, the accident occurred when the victim, Shankar Rathwa, attempted to free his kite string from an electric pole.
Rathwa suffered a massive shock and collapsed. Although he was rushed to a nearby hospital by his family, he succumbed during treatment. Rathwa is survived by his wife and a three-year-old son.
In another accident, a 10-year-old boy was killed after being hit by a speeding car while chasing a kite in Karjan in the Vadodara district. According to the local police, Himanshu Kashyap suddenly ran onto the road to catch a flying kite and was hit by an oncoming car. Although he was rushed to a hospital, he succumbed to injuries.
In the Anand district, an eight-year-old boy named Dhaval Parmar was killed after a sharp kite string caused fatal neck injuries while he was travelling from Badalpur to Ralej with his father on a two-wheeler. The minor succumbed to injuries at a Khambhat hospital.
In Jambusar taluka of the Bharuch district, a motorcyclist identified as Rahul Parmar suffered fatal neck injuries due to a kite string while travelling on his motorcycle near Piludara village of the taluka. He was declared dead on arrival at the sub-district hospital in Bharuch.
Vadodara city’s SSG Hospital reported 150 emergency cases, including kite-string injuries and kite-flying accidents, on January 14. This includes the fatal case of electrocution on Waghodia Road.
Story continues below this ad
Dr Ranjan Aiyer, Barod Medical College Dean and Medical Superintendent of SSG Hospital, said, “We received 150 cases of Uttarayan-related injuries on a single day of January 14. Several patients reported minor and major cuts on their necks, faces, and other parts of their bodies from kite strings. SSG witnessed a severe workload on Uttarayan due to the limitations of VMC hospitals in handling cases of cuts and injuries.”
SSG hospital added that it was prepared to treat emergencies on day two of Uttarayan celebrations on Thursday.
Rise in emergency calls
Emergency medical services (EMS) in Vadodara reported a significant increase in emergency calls on January 14, recording 363 cases compared to the usual average of 244 cases, according to a government release Thursday. The EMS dashboard noted 14 cases of neck injuries related to Uttrayan and 88 trauma cases, a considerable rise from the 39 trauma cases reported in 2025.
Trauma-related emergencies showed the largest increase. Non-vehicular trauma cases jumped from a normal average of 27 to 92, while vehicular trauma cases increased from 39 to 88, highlighting a substantial spike in accident-related incidents during the day, the release stated.
Story continues below this ad
Other emergency categories also reported higher numbers. Unknown medical problems increased from 40 to 52, while pregnancy-related emergencies rose slightly from 43 to 48 cases. Cardiac emergencies also showed an increase, rising from 15 to 20 cases, and convulsion-related calls went up from eight to 10.
However, some categories reported a decline. Breathing-related problems decreased from 27 to 20, and abdominal pain cases decreased from 25 to 14. Diabetic emergencies and stroke-related cases also showed marginal decreases.
The officials attribute the surge primarily to increased travel, festive activities, and higher public movement, stressing the importance of caution, road safety, and timely medical assistance during such periods. A total of 60 ambulances, along with staff, were on duty 24/7 to attend to medical emergencies during the festival day.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
