11 die of heat, dehydration at Maharashtra govt award event

The gathering at the Maharashtra Bhushan Award function in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)

BJP office-bearers said more than 10 lakh people attended the event. Nearly 300 people complained of dehydration, high blood pressure and exhaustion and medical help was provided to them.

So far, 20 patients have been admitted to various hospitals, a senior government official told The Indian Express. Those who complained of dehydration were sent to Tata hospital in Kharghar and government hospitals in Navi Mumbai, Panvel and Raigad.

Shinde, who later in the day visited MGM hospital in Kharghar where he spoke to those admitted there, announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the family members of those dead.

“As per the information given by doctors, so far 11 people have lost their lives. The kin of the deceased persons will get a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh. The government will also provide free of cost treatment to others who fell ill during the function. This is an unfortunate incident. Lakhs of people had come to the programme. This is really an unfortunate and painful incident,” Shinde told reporters.

“The condition of the injured patients is stable. Instructions have been given to provide the best treatment to all the patients. A deputy commissioner-level official from the Panvel Municipal Corporation has been assigned at the hospital to provide assistance. The government will ensure that there is no inconvenience to the patients,” he said.

The gathering at the Maharashtra Bhushan Award function in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. (Express photo)

Later in the evening, the Chief Minister tweeted, “At Dr. Appasaheb Dharmadhikari’s #Maharashtra_Bhushan award ceremony held at Kharghar today, some attendees had to be shifted to hospital due to heat stroke, unfortunately 11 of them died while undergoing treatment. This is a very unexpected unfortunate and painful incident and I pay my respects to the deceased. We share in the grief of their families.”

In a statement, Fadnavis said, “It is very unfortunate and painful that some members participating in the Maharashtra Bhushan Award ceremony this morning died due to heatstroke. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced Rs 5 lakh assistance to the families of the deceased. For those who are undergoing treatment, the cost of treatment will be borne by the state government.”

“I pray to God for speedy recovery of the patients. The chief minister himself visited the hospital and has given appropriate instructions to the doctors. The administration is maintaining complete coordination and we are in constant contact with the senior officers,” he said.

State Industries Minister Uday Samant described the condition of three people who are undergoing treatment as critical.

The gathering at the Maharashtra Bhushan Award function in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. (Express photo)

Congress general secretary and Maharashtra Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil accused the state government of negligence. “During the government’s Maharashtra Bhushan Award programme, ten innocent people died due to the negligence of this government because the event was organised under the sun and in the month of April. For this, the government should be charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder,” he tweeted.

According to the IMD’s Santacruze observatory, the maximum temperature recorded in Mumbai was 34.1 degrees on Sunday, which was one degree above normal, while the coastal observatory at Colaba recorded 32.4 degrees. Incidentally, the maximum temperature recorded at the Navi Mumbai’s IMD observatory in Panvel had not been updated in the IMD’s dashboard.

Suraj Chavan, president of Maharashtra State Nationalist Youth Congress, tweeted, “It is understood that due to the negligence of the government by keeping the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony in the sun, some innocent people have died and many people are seriously injured. For this, the government should be booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.”

The Navi Mumbai police said followers of Dharmadhikari started gathering at the venue from Saturday morning.

“People had started showing up since Saturday morning. The government provided them food and tea throughout the day. On Sunday, provisions, including medical facilities, had been arranged at the venue,” a senior police officer said.

According to a medical officer in the Panvel Municipal Corporation, health officers in Thane, Raigad and Navi Mumbai were roped in to set up booths to provide medical aid to those attending the event.

“We were told to expect a gathering of 20-25 lakh people,” the officer said, adding that they were asked to set up 55 booths for emergency medical aid. The management of the crowd was divided between various district health departments. “Since the event was organised on a large scale, it was difficult for just one district health department to handle such a big crowd,” an officer from Raigad health department said.