Mumbai Mirror
Thane, Sep 2: An 18-year-old youth was electrocuted on Thursday night at a Ganesh pandal at Nallasopara in Thane district.
The youth, Rohit Shetty, a XI Commerce student of the Kapol College, was electrocuted while he was changing a CD in a music system at the pandal set up by Virat Vikalp Manch.
Sources said that as part of the revelry, music was played at the pandal and Rohit was told to change the CD. While Rohit was changing the CD, he suffered a fatal shock from the switchboard.
His friends and relatives rushed the victim to a nearby private hospital, where the doctors refused to admit him, saying the electrocution was a police case. The doctors then advised them to go to Alliance Hospital, Nallasopara (E).
Rohit, who had suffered about 80 per cent burns, was taken to the Alliance Hospital, which was quite far from the place where the accident had taken place. It took them nearly 40 minutes to reach there, but before they could make it, Rohit, the only son his parents, died around 10.30 pm.
Relatives of the deceased have held the organisers culpable for the mishap and said that while taking an electric connection, they had not taken into account the necessary safety measures.
The allegations were proved to be correct when the MSEB officials examined the site of accident. According to an MSEB official, the wires used to take the temporary power supply for the pandal were of inferior quality and they were damaged at various places.
When asked whether the MSEB officials visited the pandal after the permission was granted for a temporary electric supply, the official said it was the duty of the contractor to submit a test report to the department after the connection is given.
“After studying the test report, inquiry will be conducted against the contractor,” he added.
The Nallasopara police have registered a case of accident.
The Ganesh idol was immersed on the fifth day (Thursday) soon after the accident. The Manch had initially planned to hold the immersion on the 10th day, but revised the plan due to the incident.