Gadag: Town police have registered a case against the organisers of the Tontadarya Mutt Jatra following an incident on Sunday night when an amusement ride broke, leaving 17 people injured.
Police said they have booked a case against Jatra committee chairman Vinayak Manvi, Tontadarya Mutt manager MS Angadi, and other organisers including Parashuram Samagar, Vishwanath Doddamani, Noorahmed Dharwad, Narayan Doddamani, Mallu Badan, and others.
The mishap occurred when tourists and locals were enjoying a tall amusement ride installed for the jatra. A part of the ride suddenly broke off while it was spinning at high speed and fell to the ground. Consequently, several people fell from a height and landed in a pool of blood, creating a moment of panic and screams at the festival grounds.
Many were trapped under the amusement, and jatra visitors brought them out using their mobile torches. Among the injured, two children were seen with bleeding on their heads. As soon as the incident occurred, alert citizens and police present at the scene attended to the rescue operation. With the help of the public, the injured were transported to the Gadag Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) Hospital using ambulances and private vehicles.
GIMS director Dr Basavaraj Bommanahalli told TOI that among the injured, the condition of one person was critical and they referred him to KMC-RI Hospital in Hubballi. "The remaining 16 persons are out of danger, and they are being treated," he stated.
Condemning the incident, right-wing activist Raju Khanappanavar staged a dharna on the Mutt premises and said Hindu organisations have been demanding that the Math not allow amusement parks for a month. "They should be curbed for a week," he added.
The chariot festival was held on April 2. Since the Jatra is a major regional event, amusement park rides and stalls are set up for over a month. Office bearers of the Tontadarya Jatra Committee said that the contract to the amusement agency was supposed to end by May 9. "We have been holding Jatra for over a month for decades in the larger interest of devotees. As it will be the summer holiday season for children, amusement and stalls will be there every year. Since it was Sunday, the crowd was larger. The amusement was being operated at a height of 6 feet. We are told that it broke off after a technical fault. We never compromise on the safety of devotees," they added.
