17-year-old student dies at Ganesh procession in MP, family alleges loud DJ sound

A 17-year-old BSc first-year student died after suddenly becoming unconscious during a Ganesh idol immersion procession at JH College in Madhya Pradesh's Betul on Friday night. The student's family alleged that the loud DJ sound at the procession may have caused her condition to deteriorate. Police said the exact cause of death will be known only after the postmortem.

The deceased, identified as Pratiksha Verma, was a resident of Sohagpur Dhana in the Shahpur police station area and was staying in a rented accommodation in Betul for her studies.

According to police, Pratiksha had gone to JH College to attend the Ganesh immersion procession and have darshan of the idol. She suddenly complained of dizziness and was taken to the side by people accompanying her. When her condition did not improve, she was rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

Pratiksha's aunt Preeti Verma alleged that the loud DJ sound at the college had caused her niece's health to deteriorate. She said Pratiksha had a hole in her heart during childhood, but had undergone treatment for four to five years and had not faced any such problem for a long time.

Her friend Vedika Sanotiya, who was with her at the college, said the two had gone together for darshan. According to Vedika, after they had darshan and clicked photographs, the DJ started playing and Pratiksha suddenly felt dizzy and became unconscious. Attempts were made to give her water before she was taken to the hospital.

Police, however, said no evidence has so far established a link between the DJ sound and Pratiksha's death. Betul SDOP Annapurna Sirsam said the student had complained of dizziness after darshan and was taken to the district hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

Police also said the family had informed them about Pratiksha having had a hole in her heart during childhood. However, her relatives said she had received treatment and had been doing well for several years.

The police have started an investigation and the student's body will be subjected to a postmortem. The exact cause of death will be determined after the postmortem report.- Endswith inputs from Rajesh Bhatia