Panic and grief gripped a college campus in the Rangareddy district near Hyderabad when a heavy lighting arch suddenly collapsed during a Dandiya celebration. The tragic incident resulted in the death of one female student, while nearly 12 others sustained injuries and were rushed to a hospital for urgent medical treatment. The deceased student was identified as Sony Narayan Das, a first-year student enrolled in the Electrical and Electronics Engineering department at the institution.
One Student Dead and Several Injured
A senior police official stated that during the Dandiya event held at MVSR College in Nadargul, a lifting stand collapsed, claiming the life of a student and injuring twelve others who were subsequently admitted to the hospital for treatment. According to eyewitnesses, the accident occurred during the closing ceremony of the college's two-day annual technical and cultural festival named Sangamam. Hundreds of students were dancing on the grounds when a massive metal pillar supporting the stage's decorative lights suddenly snapped and crashed down onto a group of female students. Police confirmed that a case has been registered against the MVSR College management in connection with the falling lighting beam, and an investigation is currently underway.
Family Members Allege Gross Negligence
Suresh, the uncle of the victim, accused the administration of severe safety lapses that led to the fatal accident. Speaking to reporters, he recounted receiving a call between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM stating that a Dandiya program was underway at MVSR College amidst strong winds, and a light and decoration pillar had suddenly collapsed. He mentioned that his friend Ashok had called to inform him that the structure had fallen directly on his daughter's head, initially leading them to believe the injuries were minor. However, upon rushing to the hospital and inquiring with the staff, he was informed that she was brought in dead. He asserted that clear negligence was involved and demanded accountability.
College Management Clarifies the Situation
Prasanna Kumar, the director of the college, described the incident as an unexpected natural accident caused by sudden high winds and maintained that the management acted immediately to provide medical assistance. He explained that the annual technical and cultural festival Sangamam featured a Dandiya session organized from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM following requests from students. Unfortunately, a severe gust of wind struck just 10 minutes before the event concluded, causing the light support stand to give way and fall directly where the students were dancing. He expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the EEE student, added that college vehicles were deployed instead of waiting for 108 ambulances, and noted that students taken for CT scans were declared out of danger while the management monitors the situation closely.
Chief Minister and Leaders Express Grief
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy expressed profound sorrow over the tragic death of the student in the engineering college accident. Meanwhile, BJP leader Andala Sreeramulu Yadav visited the incident site and strongly criticized the college authorities for criminal negligence. He stated that small and unstable pillars standing around 80 feet high were erected without adequate support and abruptly collapsed onto nearly 20 girls. Highlighting that four girls remain in critical condition and multiple lives have been impacted, he termed the incident a glaring lapse on the part of the MVSR College management.
