Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji
Panaji, Feb 12: A 32-year-old youth from Satara, Maharashtra, died of a suspected narcotics overdose following a party linked to the Hill Top festival in Goa, even as a week earlier a youngster from Santa Cruz was saved after collapsing from an alleged overdose at a similar event.
The fatal incident occurred after the weekend of February 8, 2026. The deceased has been identified as Vikram Barkade (32), who had travelled to Goa to attend the annual Hill Top festival.
The event was originally scheduled to be held at Hill Top in Vagator. However, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) had ordered the venue to be sealed on February 4. Despite this, the festival reportedly commenced on the afternoon of February 5 and continued until 6.30 pm. Social media posts later indicated that the party had shifted to another venue, Aura, in South Anjuna, where locals alleged that loud music and fireworks continued late into the night.
Barkade was staying in rented accommodation near the venue. A local resident living close to the room where he was staying said, “He was brought home by his friends from a party late at night. There was some commotion and, after a while, they left. We came to know early in the morning that he had passed away.”
Sources at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Siolim, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Barkade was brought dead late Sunday night by a group of youths claiming to be his friends. They informed medical staff that he had been partying at Aura.
A Randox blood test conducted at the Forensic Department of Goa Medical College (GMC) reportedly detected the presence of ecstasy, amphetamine and methamphetamine in his blood. A doctor familiar with the case stated that the victim had consumed spurious ecstasy.
In a separate incident a week earlier, during the early hours of February 2, a youngster from Santa Cruz collapsed while attending a party at Hill Top in Vagator. He was rushed by ambulance to a nearby private hospital.
“At first, it looked scary. We rushed him from the venue to a hospital, and it took the doctors a good 45 minutes to an hour to regain his consciousness,” said a member of the ambulance staff. Another source said it appeared to be a case of drug overdose and that the youth was stabilised after nearly an hour. He remained under observation overnight and was discharged the next morning.
The two incidents — one fatal and one non-fatal — have raised serious concerns about drug use at large-scale music events and alleged violations of permissible sound limits.
Roysal D’Souza, a resident of South Anjuna, alleged that noise levels remained high through the night. “What happened was disgusting. The noise was so bad that I had to send a WhatsApp message to GSPCB chairman Levinson Martins. No one listened, and in the end one boy died. It now looks like the authorities are waiting for people to die before being pushed to act,” he said.
Deputy Collector Varsha Parab stated that she had not received any direct complaints. “I did not get any complaint over the phone, but it is bad that one death has been reported. I think it is time to have a meeting of all stakeholders with our Collector soon. This matter has to be sorted out,” she said.
Clarifying her role, Parab added, “I did give permission to Aura to play music till 10 pm, but not after that. Had I received any complaint, I would have called the police and ordered action.”
The back-to-back cases have once again brought the spotlight on regulatory oversight, enforcement of safety norms and the urgent need for stricter monitoring to prevent further tragedies at music festivals in Goa.