Govindas reached the height of flouting rules
Activists claim those below 14 years of age took part in festivities, organisers didn’t take mandatory safety precautions; 6 plaints filed
MUMBAI: From age to safety, Govindas flouted all norms mentioned in the Bombay high court (HC) orders during the Krishna Janmashtami celebrations in the city on Monday, alleged activists.
Last year, the HC had lifted height restrictions for human pyramids, but set 14 as the minimum age limit for Govindas. It is mandatory for organisers to provide participants an insurance of ₹10 lakh, along with safety gear such as helmets, belts, chest guards and nylon nets.
Swati Patil, who petitioned for safe guidelines in 2014, filed six complaints at Dadar, Chembur (two), Ghatkopar, Kurla and Thane, citing violations of the HC order. “The mandals had pyramids as high as 10-12ft, with children between the age of 10 and 12, in clear violation of court orders. When asked for birth certificates of children, mandals said they did not have it,” said Patil. “None of the mandals followed basic safety guidelines of providing chest guards, helmets or cushion layers at the bottom of the pyramids. We will submit a list of violations to the HC.”
Acting on Patil’s PIL, the HC in August 2014 ruled children must not be allowed to participate in dahi handi celebrations and limited the height of the pyramid to four tiers or 20ft. The state moved the Supreme Court, which held that those younger than 18 years can’t take part. In 2016, the state declared dahi handi an adventure sport, after which the HC made changes to the rules in 2017.
The Mumbai police said they will act against mandals found flouting HC directives. “Each zone will investigate the cases over the next few days,” said Manjunath Shinge, deputy commissioner of police, Mumbai police spokesperson. “Until 8pm, we did not receive any major noise pollution complaint. However, our officers are on standby through the night to resolve any problems, and details of complaints will be ready by Tuesday morning.”
The Dahi Handi Samanvay Samiti (DHSS), the umbrella body for mandals, said the violations were by those not registered with them. “None of the mandals registered with us violated the safety guidelines. Even noise rules were not flouted, and only traditional instruments and drums were used instead of loudspeakers. Speakers were only used for announcements,” said Bala Padelkar, chairman, DHSS.
DHSS had approved a plan to provide a life cover of ₹10 lakh for each Govinda in their team earlier this year.
The Oriental Insurance Company Ltd, a central government body, said 935 mandals were insured, compared to 389 last year. Patil said only 57 Govindas across Mumbai were insured. “The mandals could not produce insurance papers ,” she said.