Man electrocuted at Ramlila fair in east Delhi

A 20-year-old man died from electrocution while repairing an LED panel at a Ramlila fair in east Delhi, police said on Monday.

The victim, identified as Veeru, was a resident of Shahdara. He was fixing the LED panel at the Ramlila event held at the CBD Ground, near Karkardooma court in the Anand Vihar area, on Sunday evening when the tragic incident occurred.

“A police team arrived at the scene soon after receiving the information. Veeru was rushed to Hedgewar Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead,” said a police official.

Shwet Goel, a member of the Ramlila committee, said that Veeru was employed by a vendor responsible for installing the LED panel.

“While working, he accidentally came in contact with another wire, resulting in a fatal shock. He was taken to the hospital immediately,” Goel added.

In a separate incident, a 56-year-old man suffered a heart attack on stage while portraying Lord Rama at a Ramlila in Vishwakarma Nagar, Shahdara, and later passed away, police said on Sunday.

The deceased, identified as Sushil Kaushik, was a property dealer.

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A senior police officer shared that they received information from a hospital regarding a man who suffered a heart attack during a stage performance.

A video showed Sushil clutching his chest and exiting the stage before collapsing.

“We also dispatched a team to the Ramlila site to determine whether he exhibited any signs of illness prior to his performance,” the officer said.

Although his family did not suspect foul play, the police are investigating the matter.

Rahul Kaushik, a family member, informed PTI that Sushil was one of the founding members of the “Jai Shri Ramlila” committee.

“Uncle had been performing the role of Raja Ram since 1987. He was also a singer,” Rahul said.

Sushil was enacting Sita’s ‘swayamvar’ scene, which involved breaking a bow. However, while singing a song, he experienced sudden chest pain, went backstage, and collapsed, Rahul explained.

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His wife and son, who were present, immediately took him to a nearby hospital, where he was placed on a ventilator. After an hour, he was declared dead, Rahul added.

Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj commented that the death could be related to the COVID-19 vaccine.

“It is commonly discussed that after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, there have been cases in India where individuals, particularly younger people, suffer heart attacks while walking,” he posted on X in Hindi.

A video of the incident, widely shared on social media, showed Sushil performing the scene before rushing backstage.