Man drowns in Worli; seven engineering students take ill after taking bhaang

A 54-year-old man drowned and more than 40 were hospitalised as Holi, the festival of colours, was celebrated with people applying gulal on each other, gorging on sweets and dancing to the tunes of Bollywood hits.

The deceased, Shashikant Bhalerao, drowned while taking a dip in the sea off Worli to clean colours from his body on Wednesday. Bhalerao was an employee of the state government and is survived by his wife and children.

Seven engineering students, who had consumed bhaang, were admitted to the civic-run Sion hospital around noon after they complained of giddiness and bouts of vomiting.

The revellers, who are in their mid-twenties,had overdosed on bhaang during a Holi party held at the institute, said sources at the hospital. The students are doing their post-graduation at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Matunga.

Sion hospital's head of medicine department, Dr Nivedita Moulick, said that the students showed symptoms of nausea and restlessness.

“The students started experiencing increased heart rate. We have given them a stomach wash...,” said a medical officer at Sion hospital. However, warden of the institute, Uday Annapure, said that the students had not consumed bhaang but were taken to hospital due to over-exertion.

In another case, a 25-year-old woman, Sonali Khandare, was taken to the same hospital as she started to throw up after eating bhaang-laced gulab jamun. Her condition is now stable.

Thirteen women were admitted to Holy Spirit Hospital in Andheri (east) after falling ill due to colour reaction. “Four of them have been admitted to the ICU and are stable," said a doctor at the hospital.

Nearly 20 patients were brought in to various hospitals, after suffering from eye injuries.

@DNA