Story perspectives

Police charge pandal stall operator after electrocution deaths

By Drooid · Sep 21, 2026, 4:10 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Kamal Shetty Charged

A temporary drinking water stall at a Mahaganapati pandal caused an electrocution that killed two people.
The incident occurred at 2:20 am on September 20, 2026, amid an estimated 50,000 crowd.
BEST identified faulty temporary meter No. M-217392, cut its power and issued a 38B notice.
Police charged stall operator Kamal Shetty under Sections 106(1) and 125(b).
Minister Ashish Shelar urged stricter safety rules after the deaths of Raghini Yadav (8) and Sujata (33).

Summary

Kishmati Yadav Blames

Kishmati Yadav blamed pandal organisers for inadequate safety measures.
Yadav claimed an electrical light fell, striking people and causing electric shock.
She reported her children Kalpana and Neha had frothy mouths after the shock.
Yadav said she received an electric shock while pulling her children away.
She accused the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other agencies of failing to enforce proper electrical precautions.

History

Historical Context

Mass pilgrim gatherings have a long record of fatal crowd crushes: a bridge collapse in April 1820 killed about 430 people, and a surge on 14 April 1986 at Haridwar’s Kumbh Mela caused roughly 47 deaths despite 10,000 police and new bridges. These repeats spurred reforms from British sanitary measures in 1867 to stricter electrical codes for events like the 2026 Mahaganapati pandal.

1 of 3

Kamal Shetty Charged

A temporary drinking water stall at a Mahaganapati pandal caused an electrocution that killed two people.
The incident occurred at 2:20 am on September 20, 2026, amid an estimated 50,000 crowd.
BEST identified faulty temporary meter No. M-217392, cut its power and issued a 38B notice.
Police charged stall operator Kamal Shetty under Sections 106(1) and 125(b).
Minister Ashish Shelar urged stricter safety rules after the deaths of Raghini Yadav (8) and Sujata (33).

1 / 3