One of the workers, Thorat succumbed to his injuries, while Prasad was severely injured. (Representative image)
The police said two workers– Pritam Thorat and Prasad Patil, of the Mulund Cha Raja Ganesh Mandal– were putting up banners near the Aakruti Tower in Gavanpada area when a speeding BMW allegedly ran over them
In a tragic incident, a Ganesh mandal worker was killed and another was severely injured after a speeding BMW car allegedly hit them during Ganeshotsav preparations in Mumbai’s Mulund on Saturday morning.
Two workers– Pritam Thorat and Prasad Patil, of the Mulund Cha Raja Ganesh Mandal– were putting up banners near the Aakruti Tower in Gavanpada area when a speeding BMW hit and ran over them, news agency ANI reported.
“Two workers of Mulund Cha Raja Ganpati Mandal were hit by a speeding car, one died, and one is in critical condition. The incident happened at 4 am. Police have registered a case,” the police said in a statement.
According to witnesses, the speeding BMW coming from Campus Hotel towards the Mulund East-West bridge and rammed into both of the volunteers. The driver did not stop to check on the victims and fled from the spot.
One of the workers, Thorat succumbed to his injuries, while Prasad was severely injured and is currently receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.
The Navghar Police registered a case against an unidentified person and launched an investigation into the matter. The police have arrested the accused identified as Shakti Alagh, a resident of Mulund (West).
According to Indian Express, Alagh told the police that he was helping with festive preparations at a local Ganesh Mandal till 10 pm on Friday, before going home.
The police official told the national daily that the accused could not fall asleep and decided to take his recently bought second-hand BMW for a test drive. “It was while out on a drive that the incident took place. Fearing he would be beaten up, he fled from the spot and parked his car in his building. He took a bike and fled from there to Navi Mumbai. Eventually, we arrested him from Kharghar,” the official added.
Earlier, an 80-year-old woman was hit by a crane at Chembur West’s Chedda Nagar junction on Thursday. The driver fled the scene after the accident, leaving bystanders to call the police.
Ganeshotsav 2024
At least 42,000 women performed aarti at the famous Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganesh Temple in Pune, Maharashtra, on Sunday, as the ten-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival, which began on September 7, continues.
Devotees also thronged in large numbers to the ‘Lalbaugcha Raja’ Ganesh Mandal in central Mumbai to take darshan of the deity. Many mandals have brought their Ganpati idols with grand processions over the last two or three days.
The ten-day festival commenced on Ganesh Chaturthi on September 7 and would end on September 17 on the occasion of Ananta Chaturdashi.
