One dead, several injured during Ganesh Chaturthi procession in Ankleshwar

Festivities took a grim turn in Gujarat’s Ankleshwar after  a girl died and over 10 devotees were injured during the Ganesh Aagman (Lord Ganesha’s procession) in two separate locations on Wednesday.

A vehicle operating a DJ during Lord Ganesha’s procession rammed several children dancing behind the tempo at Harikrupa Society near Gadkhol village in Ankleshwar. As per reports, the driver hit Navya, Diya, Janak, and Krishna while taking a reverse. Tragically, 5-year-old Navya died on the spot while three other children have been rushed to a hospital for treatment.

The tempo’s driver, Rakesh, claimed that he had handed over the vehicle to society resident Chirag Vyas. Chirag lost control of the steering, leading to the accident. Police reached the spot and launched further investigation.

In a separate incident in Ankleshwar’s GIDC area, a bull wreaked havoc during a Ganesh procession at the COP 7 group’s event. Agitated by the loud DJ sound, the bull went on a rampage, injuring 8 to 10 people, including four women.

The bull’s attack caused panic and a stampede in the procession. The injured were immediately taken to a hospital for treatment. CCTV footage of the incident has surfaced and is going viral on social media. Both accidents have cast a shadow of grief over the beginning of Ganesh Utsav.

Navsari’s nightmare

Seven people who were bringing the Lord Ganesha’s idol for the festivities were electrocuted in Karadi village of Jalalpore taluka, Navsari, on Monday. As per reports, some people were holding an iron pipe to lift high-tension wires and came into contact with electricity. This led to the deaths of two people, while five others were injured.