Ganesha Habba celebrations turned deadly for two persons in Karnataka. On Sunday night, a 15-year-old boy and a 25-year-old man were killed during idol immersion processions in Bengaluru and Mandya.
Venkatesh (15) had gone to witness the procession in Bengaluru’s JC Nagar when the truck carrying a huge idol ran amok and killed him.
The procession, organised by the Gajanana Yuva Sangha, was moving through 11th main road in JC Nagar, when the driver of the truck lost control and rammed several vehicles before running over Venkatesh.
Venkatesh’s parents have alleged that the truck driver was driving under the influence of alcohol, said an official of the JC Nagar police.
“According to the complaint filed by Venkatesh’s parents, the truck driver lost control of the wheel on the main road. Several vehicles were damaged and, as far as we know, three people were injured. The injured persons have not filed a complaint. So, the exact count of injured persons is not known yet. An investigation is on to see if there was a problem with the truck or if the driver was drunk,” the official said.
A case of accidental death has been filed.
In Mandya district, 25-year-old Vijay Kumar drowned in a lake in Malavalli taluk’s Ragi Bommanahalli, when a Ganesha idol was being immersed.
“Vijay Kumar’s friends informed the local police and the rescue team was dispatched to fish him out of the water. After hours of searching for his body, it was fished out early on Monday morning. Vijay Kumar’s family has been intimated and they will have to identify the body,” the Mandya SP added.
In Koppala district, a scuffle broke out between local youth participating in an immersion procession and the police, resulting in a lathi charge.
A Ganesha procession was en route to the immersion spot in Koppala town, when it was intercepted by the police at Kinnala Road. The police objected to the loud sound system being used in the procession.
“It is against the rules to use sound systems which fall in the spectrum of 2000 Mega Watts. The sound was too loud and people had complained about it. We confiscated the equipment,” Koppala SP said.
Angered by the turn of events, the youth kept the Ganesha idol in the middle of the road and sat down to protest.
“Once they sat down to protest, the police told them that it could not be done unless they had obtained prior permission to protest. An argument ensued and several youths began throwing stones at the police. That is why they resorted to lathi charge,” the SP said.