Kharghar deaths: Relatives allege it was a stampede, not sunstroke

The government has said that the 13 deaths among attendees at the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony on Sunday were caused by sunstroke but their kin and witnesses at the event claim they were caused due to a stampede They claim injuries to their loved onersquos bodies tell a different tale Badlapur resident Sanjay Gawale had reached the ground at Kharghar with his wife and family in the morning to attend the function lsquoPeople ran towards gatesrsquoSpeaking to midday Gawale said ldquoAround 130 pm the programme was over but nobody instructed us on how to get out of the ground People started running towards different gates Many people fell and were crushed in the crowd This continued for an hour More than 5000 police officers were present for the bandobast but they didnrsquot help people exit the groundrdquoGawale added ldquoI somehow rushed towards a gate with my family and saved them The police were just standing and did nothing to help peoplerdquo Gawale said ldquoThere were four gates and we saw many people running towards them We have heard that people who were injured have been admitted to hospitals In heat stroke people will fall down but how can one explain the injuries The government is hiding the truthrdquolsquoWe want the truthrsquoThe kin of victims who died seek the truth midday talked to two people who lost their loved ones at the event and claim they died due to stampede and not sunstroke Minakshi Mestry 58 had come from Vasai to attend the event ldquoShe left home around 530 am on Sunday We spoke at around 630 am and she told me she was going to attend the felicitation But after 9 pm there was no word from her She was not answering her cellphone Her kids and husband got anxious and called merdquo said Sunil Mestry her brotherLakhs of people had attended the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony PicsSameer MarkandeldquoI called a friend at Belapur and shared a picture of her asking him to check with police but they couldnrsquot track her Finally I left home around 12 am and reached Kamothe at 2 am We went to MGM Hospital first and came to know that they have kept bodies at a Panvel hospital Our search ended at Panvel Subdistrict Hospitalrdquo added Sunil MestryAlso read Kharghar heatstroke deaths lsquoTimely IV fluids or a few sips of water couldrsquove saved allrsquoldquoWe were told that those who died had sunstroke But I found injury marks on my sisterrsquos face Blood had oozed out of her nose and ears How can a person who has died due to sunstroke have injury marks Why they are suppressing factsrdquo he questioned ldquoWe were told they treated her at Tata Hospital first and then brought her to MGM but our family doubts that The people died due to stampede and to hide this the government is the heat We just want government officials to be honest with whatever happenedrdquo Sunil Mestry said added Minakshi is survived by her husband and two sonsVinayak Vishwanwath Haldankar 54 who was brought to NMMC Hospital Vashi died on Monday His younger sister Koman Mankar said ldquoMy brother lived with his family at Kalyan East He had come with his wife to my home on Saturday Being an ardent follower of Appasaheb he went to the event ground the previous night to get a place near the stage Like him many had gone on the Saturday night itselfrdquoldquoMy brother and his wife Anjali were in contact with us even after the event They were seated separately and phoned each other He told her to come near Central Park where he would be But when my sisterinlaw went there she found him lying on the ground near the toilet He was gasping for breath She somehow managed to get an ambulance and took him to NMMC Hospital Vashi where he died on Mondayrdquo she addedHaldankar is survived by his wife and two daughters He was working in a private company ldquoMy brother didnrsquot die due to sunstroke When people were leaving there was a stampedelike situation with thousands walking towards the exit gates Even if they give us compensation or make inquiries my brother is not going to returnrdquo said Mankar Local district officials said all deaths occurred due to sunstroke and the melee was not the cause of any fatalities22LNo of approximate people who attended the event