R B Jagadish
Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (SP)

Karkala, Sep 19: A youth got crushed under the wheels of a truck carrying the idol of Lord Ganesha during the immersion procession of Vinayaka Chaturthi festival at Mudrady, after the truck developed technical problems. This unfortunate accident occurred during late evening on Friday September 18.

The deceased has been identified as Abhijith Jain (18), a resident of Padumarnadu in Moodbidri. Jain, who is a drummer skilled in handling Nasik Band, had arrived at Mudrady on Friday evening along with his band members to take part in the immersion procession organized there. The truck in which the idol of Lord Ganesha that was worshipped in a pandal erected at Mudrady school premises was kept, suddenly gained speed when moving on a slope, and within a fraction of a second, Jain, who was busy playing his instrument, came under the wheels of the truck that suddenly surged ahead. He got killed instantly. Some of his band members suffered injuries in this accident.

There are allegations that the truck used for the procession was very old, and it was put to use in religious procession by the concerned without properly getting its condition checked. Later, the idol was carried in another vehicle for immersion.

In normal course, police personnel gather full information beforehand about vehicles being used in programmes involving large number of people. They could have stopped the tragedy if they had intervened and stopped this old truck from being used for the procession. There are rules and regulations governing use of vehicles in such occasions, and the Ganeshotsava Samiti at Mudrady was also expected to make enough checks before deciding whether a particular vehicle was safe enough for use among a huge crowd.

It is believed that the policemen failed to exercise strict verification in this incident, and the practice of bending rules to suit leaders and dignitaries seems to have been followed here too.

Damaged or cracked idols are barred from being worshipped as per Hindu customs. Cracks if any witnessed in an idol are treated as bad omen. It is said that during the installation of this particular Ganesha idol, both the priests and Samiti leaders had found out that the idol in question had been damaged. It is said that they decided to go ahead with religious programmes after conducting patchwork where the idol was damaged. As per religious code, it is customary for the devotees present to offer prayers seeking divine mercy to condone the lapse. Many say that this procedure was given a go by at the said venue.

Mudrady was shell-shocked at this catastrophe, particularly so as many believers have been expressing the opinion that this is the outcome of fury of the divine at the above lapses.