Man hit by water balloon on Holi loses vision in one eye

A man lost vision in one eye and was injured in the other after he was hit by a water balloon, thrown by two boys, while traveling in a train in neighbouring Thane, police said on Thursday.

Sanjay Kathare, a resident of Mumbai, was standing on the foot board while traveling in the second class compartment of a train to Dombivali on Wednesday when he was hit in the face by a balloon which had stones in it, they said.

"Kathare who had suffered severe injuries to his eyes was helped off the train by fellow passengers and was taken to the JJ Hospital in Mumbai for further treatment," a senior police official from the Government Railway Police station at Dombivali said.

Following the incident, a team of the GRP which was patrolling the tracks found two nine-year-old boys who were throwing balloons filled with stones at trains and nabbed them, he said.

"The two children, both residents of Sardar Nagar slum in Kopar, have been sent to the children's home in Bhiwandi. It seems they were filling stones in the balloons so that they would travel further when thrown," the official said.

Kathare's left eye has been saved due to timely treatment but the lens in his right eye has been severely damaged, Dr TP Lahane, Head of Opthalmology Department at the JJ Hospital said.

"The natural lens of his right eye has been completely broken due to the impact and we will have to put an artificial lens. However, we presently cannot predict the success of this operation," Lahane said.

Kathare's right eye will be operated on on March 17 and a second operation will be carried out in the next two weeks, he said, adding that he was presently admitted in the JJ Hospital.