Mumbai Dahi Handi: Money can’t compensate for the loss of my son, says father of Govinda who died

Sandesh’s brother Yogesh (in green T-shirt) with Jitendra Janawale (in white kurta) who helped the family throughout the ordeal

Money cannot compensate for what I have lost. And if the government declared Dahi Handi a sport, it must have ensured adequate safety for Govindas during the celebrations," said Prakash Dalvi, father of Sandesh Dalvi who succumbed to head injuries he sustained during the festival.

The 24-year-old Kurla resident participated in the Dahi Handi celebrations at Vile Parle on August 19.

"Sandesh was in the second-top tier of the pyramid and Vinay Rambade was on the top. As Vinay broke the handi, the second tier lost its balance. Vinay grabbed the rope and Sandesh his leg, but the rope broke and both crashed to the ground. Sandesh started bleeding from his ears and nose, and was rushed to Cooper hospital," Sachin Pawar, the deceased's friend, told mid-day.

Also read: Mumbai: 24-year-old Govinda injured during Dahi Handi festival dies

Sandesh Dalvi

"Usually, there are mats on the ground to absorb the impact of the crash and prevent serious injuries, but the organiser made no such arrangement. Even the crowd around the pyramid, meant to catch the falling Govindas, was absent," Sachin added.

He couldn't recover

Sandesh, who was a member of Shiv Shambho Govinda Pathak, had sustained injuries to his head, and died at 9 pm on Monday at Nanavati hospital. "As there was no improvement in his health, we shifted Sandesh from Cooper hospital to Nanavati, where doctors operated on him. But he could not recover," Shiv Sena upvibhag pramukh Jitendra Janavale said. Rambade, who was also injured, is undergoing treatment at Cooper hospital and his condition is stable.

He loved sports

Prakash, 57, told mid-day, "Sandesh was five-year-old when he first participated in Dahi Handi, and continued to do so every year, as he loved sports. After clearing SSC, he got more involved in sports, like cricket and kabaddi. Our eldest son Yogesh was making a living as a driver and Sandeep was also looking for a job. Happy days were just around the corner for the family, but now there is only grief and tears."

Shiv Sena's Ambadas Danve, leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, attended Sandesh's funeral and met his parents. "I will raise the issue in the house. We need to focus on the safety of our people, for which all parties must sit together and make a policy to avoid such unfortunate incidents in the future. We will also see that the family gets more compensation, as R10 lakh is a small amount," he told mid-day. Before the festival, the Eknath Shinde government had announced a R10-lakh insurance cover for Govindas.

The residents of Matoshree Sankalp, where the Dalvi family lives, were full of praise for the youth. He was a helpful person, they said.

Vile Parle police had booked the organiser of the event after the two youths were injured, and have now added IPC Sections 304A (causing death by negligence) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life) to the FIR, an officer said.

With inputs from agencies