13 die of heat stroke after attending Maharashtra Bhushan award function in Navi Mumbai
After 13 people died due to heatstroke at a state event on Sunday, the Maharashtra government has banned outdoor events between noon and 5 pm till the heat wave conditions abate in the state.
Thirteen people died of heat stroke after attending the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony organized by the state government in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
This year, the award was presented to activist Appasaheb Dharmadhikari and lakhs of his followers attended the event organized in the open ground. Visuals showed a huge crowd in an open field under the scorching sun. The maximum temperature of the region was recorded at 38 degree Celsius that day.
The event was attended by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Home Minister Amit Shah came to hand over the state’s highest civilian award to Mr. Dharmadhikari.
In the wake of the tragedy, Chief Minister Shinde announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the deceased. He and Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis termed the incident as “unfortunate” and expressed their condolences.
However, the opposition targeted the state government over the planning of the event.
Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, demanded that a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder be registered against the Eknath Shinde government over the deaths due to heatstroke.
“This unfortunate incident is not a natural disaster but a man-made disaster. The government is fully responsible for this unfortunate incident,” Pawar tweeted. They also demanded more compensation to the families of the deceased.
Responding to opposition questions as to why the event was held in the afternoon when it was very hot, state minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on Monday said the timing was suggested by Mr Dharmadhikari.
He said, “Appasaheb Dharmadhikari had given us time and the program was planned accordingly. Politics should not be brought into everything.”
Former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has also criticized the state government. It was a rebellion led by Mr Shinde that brought down the Uddhav Thackeray-led coalition government of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress. Mr Thackeray has now lost the Shiv Sena party name and symbol to the faction led by Mr Shinde.
“The incident was not planned properly. Who will investigate this incident?” Thackeray asked the question after meeting people hospitalized after heatstroke at the event.